What fangirling entails
by Cassie Studios
Summary: Riza loves Roy, we know that. But when Maria lures our lieutenant into watching a popular TV series, everything goes crazy. Especially that the actor all women adore bears an astonishing resemblance to someone we all know well... And so does Riza.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Okay, here's the thing: I'm a great fan of the polish version of "Ugly Betty." There is this guy who plays the prince charming (he's really very handsome, check him out). And I happen to have a friend who looks very like him. Also, they share the same name, make the same gestures and speak in a similar way. No, they are not related, but the likeness is so stunning that I strongly believe that it is genetically impossible. Still, it is there. I'm telling you this all to prove to you that the story I'm going to tell you is not unlikely to happen. This whole situation inspired me to write a fic with our beloved Royai couple (it feels like it matches them). But you're here to read the fanfic, not the preface, so I guess I'll just shut up now and let the story flow…

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or "Brzydula". I can't even say that I own the friend. However, I'm deeply in love with the Polish actor who plays the protagonist. Hell, I might love him even more than Sasuke-kun.

This fic is dedicated to my above-mentioned friend, who probably even won't know about it (because he doesn't read/watch FMA and he's probably never come across FFN), but it doesn't really matter. It's him who gave me the idea, after all. So let's give him some credit.

* * *

Episode 1

When Riza entered the office, she was greeted by five relieved glances. She frowned.

"What?"

"Glad you're here, lieutenant," Roy stretched his arms and returned to his paperwork. "You were gone for so long, I almost thought you joined the fanclub."

"What fanclub?" the frown left, replaced by perplexity.

"The fanclub of that stupid soap opera," muttered Havoc. "You know how girls in Central HQ disappear about 16.00 o'clock and gather in the TV room to watch it every day. We thought you were there as well."

Riza snorted.

"Really, colonel, second lieutenant," she addressed them in turn. "You should've known better. Seriously, I'm not into that crap. And for your information, I was in the library."

"You never know a woman's heart," murmured Roy silently.

Riza gave him a disapproving look and sat down by her desk. She was just about to resume her work when she heard a piercing, shrilly "Eeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!" Her head abruptly jumped up as she threw a terrified glance at the guys.

"What was that?" she whispered, frozen.

"The fanclub," answered Havoc casually, not even bothering to raise his head from his paperwork. Fallman cleared his throat.

"I believe it is called 'fangirl squeal', lieutenant."

Riza moved her gaze from one to the other.

"And you really expected me to be able to do _that_?!"

"You never know," repeated Mustang ever so quietly. She heard him anyway.

"_Very, very funny,"_ her eyes seemed to be saying. He pretended not to notice.

* * *

"Oh, Riza, c'mon! You've gotta see this!"

"Stop pulling at my sleeve!" the lieutenant tried to break free from Maria's grasp. But lieutenant Ross didn't give up.

"You must watch this! It's not a soap opera, it's a really fascinating series!"

"They always say that," Riza muttered under her breath.

"It's about to start!"

"Seriously, Maria, what's the point in watching an episode hundred-something when I have no clue who is who and what has happened so far? Not that I'm interested anyway."

Maria turned a deaf ear to the second sentence, but she caught the problem expressed in the first one.

"I guess you're right. You know what, I'll send you a link to the first episode, you can watch them online."

"Really, you don't have to…" replied Riza, meaning _"Please DON'T."_

"Oh I'm sure you'll love it. Besides, you have to see it for yourself."

"What?"

"There's something about it…well you'll see."

Lieutenant Ross turned on the spot and paced down the corridor.

"I gotta go, I can hear the opening song!" she shouted over her shoulder.

Indeed, there was some melody coming from the TV room. Before Maria walked inside, she addressed Riza once more:

"I promise I'll send you the link!"

And then she disappeared. Lieutenant Hawkeye just stood there, bewildered. Then she cleared her throat, adjusted her grip on the documents she was carrying and returned to Mustang's office.

The room was almost empty, only the colonel sat behind his desk. His head had fallen onto the paperwork he surely had been doing very intently. Riza smiled at the sight of her sleeping superior. As quietly as she only could she put her documents on her desk and walked up to Roy. Chuckling, she gently stroked his hair. He didn't wake up. Riza's gaze saddened. She loved him, but she knew he didn't want her. Well, he never told her so himself, but judging from his behavior, that was the only conclusion. And her feelings were too strong to be gotten rid of just like that. Sometimes she doubted she could ever manage _not_ to love him.

She heard footsteps outside the office. People were returning from their lunch. Surely the rest of Mustang's subordinates would soon be here. Riza moved her hand to Roy's shoulder and shook him lightly.

"Colonel?"

He didn't respond. She shook him with some more force.

"Colonel, wake up!"

His head shot up and he gazed at her. He blinked several times.

"Did I fall asleep?" he asked a bit hoarsely.

"Yes, but if you resume your work now, no one will know," she smiled at him and returned to her own desk.

"Thank you," Roy smiled back and ran his fingers through his hair, messing it even more. Riza chuckled at the sight, then shook her head, sighed quietly and picked up her pen just the moment her colleagues entered the office.

* * *

When Riza returned home that evening, she very unwillingly turned on the computer. Knowing that tomorrow Maria would be dying to hear her opinion, Riza couldn't put off any longer watching the episode. Sighing, she checked her mail. And sure, there were two links included in the message. One was the preview of the pilot episode, and the second was the episode itself. Riza decided to go with the preview first, to get a look at how bad it would be.

It took only several seconds for the video to load. The music started and soon the voices joined. Riza took in the first several seconds indifferently. A silly story about an ugly girl who wants to work in a fashion house. Cliché. But then the protagonist entered, and the lieutenant almost gasped.

There he was, with raven hair and deep, dark eyes. He cast that appraising look at the poor girl. Riza knew that look. It was the "what-do-you-want-with-me-I-am-a-colonel-you-know" look.

At first she thought it was him, but a more thorough inspection proved her wrong. The actor was taller and, as hard as it might be to believe, more handsome than the colonel. He was also slimmer and his voice was a bit deeper. Still, the similarity was amazing. If Riza hadn't known better, she would've assumed that it was Roy's older brother.

She quickly googled the guy. Apparently the series was very popular, because his profile was easy to find. Then came a next surprise. The actor's name was Roy Mendez. Riza frowned, and her jaw dropped.

Age 32, no girlfriend. Worked in several theaters, currently acting in a popular series as Philip, the young chairman of a fashion house. The photo of an incredibly handsome guy beside the article ultimately confirmed that it was the same actor.

Riza minimalized the browser window. She didn't need any more reason to do what Maria asked of her. Turning the volume up a bit, she hugged her knees on a chair and begun watching the episode.

* * *

Riza was at work on time, but she was extremely tired. She watched 10 episodes in a row and only her better judgment finally told her to go to sleep. She was on caffeine the whole morning. At lunchtime Maria visited her to share opinions.

"I told you! I was surprised as hell when I saw it!"

"Well, actually me too," conceded Riza, rubbing her eyes. "How's that even possible? I mean, it's not like they're related or something. How could two different people be so similar?"

She was telling the truth. It turned out that Philip (the name she called the actor to _somehow _differentiate between him and Roy the colonel) not only looked like Mustang, but also moved and spoke like him. You wouldn't call him a spitting image of Roy, but it still was a phenomenon.

"I don't know, it must be some strange set of genes. Have you already realized that Philip is the biggest womanizer of the whole series?"

Riza gave her an amused glance and smiled to herself. This was just too much.

"So, are you coming today?"

"No, I guess I'll pass until I catch up to the current episodes."

"Ok, I get it. But hurry, I heard there's not much left now."

"I'll remember that."

Maria seemed thrilled. She almost jumped with excitement. "See? I knew you'll like it!"

* * *

Riza finished her work early and taking the last sip of coffee, she stood up from her desk.

"Sir, can I leave early today? I've already done everything."

"Oh," Roy was astounded. It was clear that the phrase _"I've done all of my work early"_ was incomprehensible to someone like him. "Oh…ok, if you're finished, I guess it's all right."

"Thank you, sir."

"Some business to do?" he asked casually as she gathered her things. She smiled under her nose.

"Yes, sort of. I have something time-consuming to do at home."

Everyone stared at her, but she just took her bag and left with a simple "goodbye."

When she was in her apartment, she quickly fed Black Hayate. As the water for her tea was heating, Riza set a few rules to herself as concerns her new lifestyle. No more burning the midnight oil. She was going to go to sleep at ten o'clock precisely. Ok, maybe if the cliffhanger was unbearable or particularly mean, she was allowed to watch one episode more. But only one. And today, she was going to bed at eight, to make up for the sleep she lost last night.

Soon she settled herself in front of her computer with a big mug of tea in her hands. On her way home she bought some chips, which she put in a bowl on her desk. Black Hayate sat beside her chair and looked up at her. She bent down and patted her pet's head.

"Wanna watch together?"

He gave her a disapproving look, but she didn't see it. Sitting cross-legged, she already started the next episode.

* * *

**A/N: **Actually, I discovered the series myself. Youtube just offered me to watch a preview of one of the first episodes of "Brzydula", and I clicked on the link out of pure curiosity. But my reaction was very similar to Riza's. I couldn't believe my own eyes, too.

I hope it doesn't bother you that Riza uses a computer. I mean, it's not the appropriate time, historically. But I need it, you see. So enjoy a bit up-to-date Royai.

Oh yes, and forgive me the Maria-OOCness, ok? You know how we girls change when we watch a series with a guy we adore.

Please be nice and leave a review.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Oh my, I'm so happy! I'd never thought this fic would be so popular. It seems it will beat my current best one, "Love and politics." So a big big _thank you_ to all of you who reviewed! I'll cherish you forever!

When Roy was sleeping on his desk in the previous chapter, I was actually thinking about Marek (the main protagonist in "Brzydula") sleeping on his couch in his office. He had a lot of work to do at night and he fell asleep or something, I really don't remember, it was like not even the 20th episode. It was sooo long ago… Anyway, it was a 'fangirl moment', if you know what I mean. He looked so sweet and handsome and vulnerable and all… Ok, back to reality.

Throughout the series, I've had many fangirl moments. But you would have to see that to fully appreciate the feeling.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own FMA, or "Brzydula", or "Ugly Betty", or "Betty la fea" or any other version of the series. I don't own the friend. I deeply love the actor. I don't own him as well, though.

Here's the next chapter for you.

* * *

Episode 2

"Shh, I'll feed you in a minute," Riza frowned at Black Hayate. He was scratching the leg of her desk chair. "Let me just finish the episode."

It had been over two weeks since she started watching the series. About a week ago she decided that since she had to wake up early to eat her breakfast anyway, she could as well do so while enjoying an extra episode. So today was a normal morning, with Riza in front of her computer _again_, just finishing her coffee.

Of course there was no way she would be late to work. She covered for that one getting up a bit earlier than usually.

Maria kept checking on her progress every few days. Riza suspected she would get visited by her friend today as well. So she wasn't surprised when Maria met her on her way back from lunch.

"How's it going?"

"About 30 more to go," replied Riza.

"So when are you going to join us?"

"In a few days, I guess."

The lieutenant was quite pleased that none of this had leaked to Mustang and the guys. She could imagine them scowl at the information. They would probably never let it go.

But her cover got miserably blown just two days later, when Fullmetal showed in town with his mechanic, who dropped in to ask about lieutenant colonel Hughes. She was sorry to hear he was away, but delighted to know that she could watch her favorite series in HQ with the rest of Philip's fangirls.

"Are you going too, miss Riza?" she asked before she left the office.

"No, I'll stay here," the lieutenant was very glad that the question wasn't _"Are you watching it?"_

"Our Riza is probably the only female who doesn't gather in the TV room at 16," said Roy. Winry spun around to face him.

"You should really watch at least one episode, colonel," she stated. "Did you know the protagonist almost looks like you?"

Riza froze, but Roy didn't seem surprised.

"Oh, so it's _that_ series? Well, no wonder it's so popular," he scratched his chin with a smirk.

Riza was bewildered. "So you knew?"

"Yeah," he shrugged. "Someone mentioned to me something about it, I just didn't know which series and which actor it was. I never got as curious as to check it. But how do _you_ know?"

"Maria told me," well, technically, it wasn't a lie. Almost.

Havoc quirked an eyebrow at her, but Roy seemed to accept the answer.

"But you know, there's no way anyone could imitate me," he continued boastfully. "He might resemble me physically, but I bet he's not as graceful or eloquent as I am!"

"Actually, sir, I've heard that his moves and way of speaking are quite similar to yours," said Riza unexpectedly.

Everyone looked at her. Roy stopped smirking.

"_No way_," he replied. "He can't be me." He seemed offended by the sole though of anyone resembling him. This would mean he wasn't unique. That wasn't possible.

"Of course, sir. But still."

"And what? Are you going to tell me that he also has the same hairstyle or voice?"

"Well ok, his voice is quite different," conceded Riza casually, flipping her documents casually.

Now everyone _stared_ at her.

"You _are_ watching it," Havoc said slowly. "You are becoming a part of this whole…"

"No I'm not," she cut him out before he could find the right word to describe it. "And I'm not a part of the fanclub."

"Yet," ended Roy.

"I said I'm not, and that's it."

"But you are watching it," Winry wanted to make sure.

"Well, Maria send me a link… It's her fault, really… And I just…"

"_You are watching the series_," repeated Havoc, still staring. Riza growled inwardly and conceded:

"Yes, _I am_ watching the series. So what?"

"So you're going to end in the fanclub, like they all have!"

"I'm not in the fanclub, I told you!"

"So do you admit that the guy isn't handsome?"

"Well…" she replied slowly. "He _is_ handsome…"

"And strong, and intelligent?"

"Yeah…yes, but…"

"Like a perfect man? Like he embodies every girl's dreams?"

Riza was speechless for a moment, but she quickly said: "But he's a womanizer."

"So what?" Havoc leaned forward to gaze at her. His eyes were saying: _"Since when does it bother you?"_

Riza opened her mouth, but no sound escaped it. She dropped her shoulders in defeat. She could still argue, but no one would believe her anyway. There was no point.

Havoc quirked and eyebrow. Riza felt an almost irresistible desire to stick her tongue out at him.

"But I don't go 'eeeeek'," she halfheartedly imitated the fangirl squeal and leaned back in her chair, pouting.

Winry felt like she just caused an explosion of a bomb. She quickly retreated into the TV room. Riza glared at Havoc once more and resumed her work.

She couldn't deny the truth, though. She was watching the series merely because of Philip. He reminded her of the colonel so much, yet being his fangirl was psychically much safer than loving Roy in reality. The colonel could hurt her, could womanize, could do so much to make her feel lonely. Philip, being a fictional character, did not possess such power. It was like loving Roy, but without the risk of getting hurt or abandoned. Besides, every woman likes to look at a handsome guy once in a while. And truth to be said, Philip was someone next to whom Roy seemed like a beta version. Riza chuckled to herself, earning a quick glance both from Havoc and the colonel, but she didn't care. As soon as she finished her work, she could go home and watch the next episode.

* * *

When the day Riza caught up with the series came, Maria dropped in to take the lieutenant along to the TV room. All the guys looked at her strangely, except for Havoc, whose eyes held only pure contempt. Riza's glare told him that she didn't care.

Suddenly, Roy rose from his chair and announced:

"I'm going with you."

Now everyone stared at _him_.

"Why?" asked Havoc, raising his eyebrows.

"Because I want to see the guy all women are so crazy about."

His voice betrayed some of his feelings: it had a slight tinge of jealousy to it. Riza bit her lower lip. She wasn't sure she wanted this. Maria, however, seemed to have no problem with it.

"Sure, come if want to, colonel," she smiled at him. "But please remember to be quiet once the episode starts."

"Okay, okay…" he rolled his eyes. Apparently he had waited for some kind of sign that he still was the number one, but these words proved him wrong.

All three of them left, followed by astounded gazes of the rest of Mustang's subordinates. The doors shut behind them, just to be opened a second later. Roy stuck his head into the room.

"And no slacking while I'm gone."

Breda opened his mouth, outraged at this hypocrisy, but the colonel already walked away.

* * *

The opening passed undisturbed. Riza was sitting beside Roy, not knowing what to do. Should she watch the episode like nothing was happening? Or should she pretend that she didn't appreciate the handsome actor on the screen?

Before she could decide, Philip entered the scene.

Riza was confused, not sure which Roy to watch, but decided on the actor. Besides, the colonel was quiet, watching the episode as well, so she guessed it was ok.

Thirty seconds later Mustang inclined his head toward her.

"Hey, he doesn't resemble me!" he whispered to her. "He's not even close!"

"He is, colonel," she replied quickly, not wanting to miss the scene, "and please be quiet."

"Just look at him! I don't do _that_!"

"Yes you do, and please just watch," she was almost pleading.

"No, I don't," he pouted, but obeyed.

It was silent for a few minutes, but when Philip showed again, Roy once more leaned toward Riza and said quietly:

"I never do _that_," he pointed at the screen, "and if I were to say those words, I would do it differently."

Riza sighed and looked around. A few of the females were glaring at the colonel. The lieutenant whispered to Maria, sitting on her other side:

"I'll watch it online today and join you tomorrow. _Alone_," she emphasized the last word and pulled the colonel's arm. "Come on, sir."

Roy let her lead him out of the TV room. Once they were outside, he burst out:

"Why would you think he's similar to me? He looks totally different, and his behavior is a far cry from mine."

"Colonel," she stared at him, "do you really not see the resemblance?"

"What resemblance?"

"It's a fact, colonel. That Roy is very similar to you."

"Gosh, I forgot he bears my name…" that seemed to be a nail in his coffin.

"Whatever you think, you can't change what everyone else sees."

"And what exactly do you all see in him? Where is he better than me?"

There was hurt in his eyes. Riza didn't know what to say.

"Well, most of all, he's handsome…"

"_I'm_ handsome as well," he riposted.

"He's intelligent and eloquent."

"Me too."

"I don't know," she shrugged, trying to think of the reasons other women might like Philip. She never made the comparison herself. "He's taller and slimmer, and his voice is deeper, and he runs a fashion house, he's rich and everything…"

She looked at him and shrugged again. His face was expressionless for a moment. Then he gazed at her, looking her deep in the eyes.

"But he's just an actor, and that Philip is a fictional character."

"So what? If he's every woman's dream, it doesn't matter."

Roy didn't take his eyes off her face.

"But I'm _here_," he said a little more quietly. There was evident confusion and as if pleading in his voice.

Riza stared at him for a moment, then dropped her gaze and nodded once.

"Yeah," she conceded, starting to walk away. "You're here."

She left him standing in the corridor, looking after her, trying to understand what he just saw and heard. She didn't care to look back.

"_Yes, you're here. So what? You don't want me anyway."

* * *

_

**A/N:** My friend was told about the series by his teacher. And when we showed him one of the episodes, he reacted like Roy. He kept saying: "I don't do that!"

Gosh, there were so many nice reviews concerning the first chapter. I hope I didn't disappoint you with the second one.

Please leave a review. You know how each one of them makes my day :)


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Oh I feel so great! You really seem to like the fic. I'm on the cloud nine.

Some more trivia: a couple of days ago I watched a comparison between 17 "Ugly Bettys" and their 17 bosses (see youtube). Guess which one of the latter was the most handsome ;)

I haven't had much time to write recently, because my tests are coming up (for example, a kanji test past Wednesday or a grammar test next week). However I want to update as frequently as I can. And now I've finally found some time to do this, so…

**Disclaimer:** I don't own FMA or "Brzydula". I do have a friend. I do love the actor.

Enjoy the third chapter.

* * *

Episode 3

Next day Roy and Riza were sitting in the office. The lieutenant, as always, was working hard. The colonel, as always, was slacking off. Riza eyed him out of the corner of her eye.

"Sir, if you don't start working, you'll never get it done until midnight," she remarked gently.

"I know how to handle my work, lieutenant," he snapped. Riza pursed her lips. He'd been touchy all morning. And she could bet she knew what that was about.

"I'm not saying you don't. I just thought that since you always complain about paperwork you could use the time to actually get something done."

The glare he gave her made her lean back a bit automatically.

"At least _I'm_ not wasting my time watching crappy soap operas."

Riza sighed, but she wasn't going to give in that easily.

"I really think you're making too much fuss about it, sir. And I'm not wasting my time, because I do everything that needs to be done _on time_."

"Yeah, and sitting in front of a screen gaping at an actor doesn't classify as wasting time?"

"No, because it's just 30 minutes per day. Besides, I really like the series," she admitted bravely. "It's interesting."

"Yes, and you watch it because the plot is so deep and engrossing, right?"

"Colonel, just what is your problem?"

"Nothing!" he rolled his eyes. "I just don't understand this…this obsession that has spread through our HQ. And just look at you, this is contagious!"

"Really?" she quirked an eyebrow at him. "And _I_ think you're just jealous."

"I'm not jealous," he stated firmly. "How could I be jealous of a fictional guy? I mean, he doesn't even exist!"

"So why don't you just let us watch the series?"

"Well that's because…because…" he frantically searched for some argument, but failed. "Oh…you women are so strange."

Riza's eyebrows jumped up and down.

"Thought sooo," she sung to herself, returning to her work.

There was a moment of silence.

"So, are you going to the TV room today?" Roy asked conversationally.

"Of course," she replied, scribbling her name down on a document.

"But since you can watch it at home…"

"It's more fun when you're watching together."

"Oh," Roy leaned back on his chair. "I'd never thought something like _that_ could be fun."

Riza gazed at him for a minute.

"Are you feeling abandoned?" she asked quietly, doing her best not to smile.

He gave her a disapproving look.

It was almost 4 pm, so Maria entered the office to take Riza along to the TV room. The lieutenant left her desk, feeling Roy's eyes on herself. She threw one last glance at him and saw a slight look of betrayal on his face. Not answering his unspoken accusation, she exited the office with her friend.

* * *

The episode was great. Just as Riza expected, she felt comfortable around women who were just as fascinated with Philip as she was herself.

However, then came the time to face the colonel again. The lieutenant sighed as she walked back to the office. Fortunately, when she was still about ten meters away from the door, she saw Havoc walk out through it. He spotted her and to her utter surprise he grabbed her arm and dragged her to a side corridor without a word. Only when they were out of anyone's earshot did he speak.

"You've been to the TV room."

"Yeah, and I watched the series," she said defiantly. "So what?"

"Well, if you want to immerse into this abounding insanity…"

"Oh don't give me that crap, I've already heard it from Mustang."

He stared at her with sudden realization on his features. "So it was _you_!"

Riza blinked. "Me what?"

"You upset the colonel. Actually I just wanted to tell you that it's better to stay out of the office for a while, but it seems it's all _your_ fault. So you probably know what's going on in there."

"Nitpicking and making faces. Oh, and the 'what-are-you-talking-about-everything-is-as-usual' thing."

Havoc nodded. "Yeah."

"And? I'm not going to hide away from him. It's not a felony to watch a TV series, for God's sake."

She was just about to pass him by and walk straight to the office, but he caught her arm once more.

"Riza, why don't you just admit it. You're watching it only because that Philip guy resembles Mustang."

"Oh, you know his name," she replied flatly.

"I've seen some fragments. Let's face it: you're searching for whatever Mustang-like there is in that guy. You're replacing Mustang with him!"

She eyed him and shrugged. "Ok, I…I won't deny it, but… So what?"

Havoc shook his head. "Riza, this is not the solution to the problem."

"At least it's _some_ solution."

"But you want Mustang, you've always wanted him."

"Listen, Jean, it takes two to tango. _He_ doesn't want _me_. Period. Why can't I try to make it a bit more bearable?"

Like a fantasy. Like she could imagine herself in that ugly girl's position. It was obvious she was going to end up with Philip anyway. That was the rule of such series. And by watching it, Riza could have a bit of Roy to herself every day, see a different side of him. See a side that cared for a girl even if she was ugly, that loved her and tried to make up for his every mistake. That thought of every possible form of courtesy to win her heart. A man that would actually worry if the girl wanted him or not, that would spend endless hours debating with himself whether to call her or not. Riza doubted any man had ever had such dilemmas when it came to her. So she imagined she did have that man. Or rather, she pictured the man she loved half of her life in such situations, dreaming he would be capable of caring for her like that. Then, she could project it onto the actor, loving everything he shared with Roy, seeing on the screen what she had seen earlier in her imagination. She could dream Philip was Roy and she was the girl he so much wanted to be with. And then, the barrier of the screen told her ultimately that it was an actor, that she could never be with Philip anyway, so there was no possibility that anything he did could affect her, however much he would womanize before he found the one for himself. Mustang's womanizing, on the other hand, hurt like hell.

"It's still more sane to go for the _real_ one," Havoc snapped her out of her day-dreaming. She blinked several times before she comprehended his words.

"Well maybe, but going for the real one is not going to work. It's not like I didn't try, you know."

"Try harder. You two are made for each other."

"Oh, and you are giving me a piece of useful advice because you're an expert in the field. I completely forgot that _your_ love life is full of successful conquests."

Havoc smacked his lips. "Touché."

"Anyhow, thanks that you care," she smiled at him gently. "I do appreciate it. But you see," she started walking towards the office and this time he didn't stop her, "it's just better this way."

* * *

Something was coming up. He knew it. Hundreds of girls and women were flooding Central City. There had never been such a crowd here before. There were no more rooms left in hotels. He knew that, because just the other day Winry called Riza in the office and asked her for a place to stay. And Hawkeye didn't seem surprised at all. She happily agreed, and today she was checking her watch every half an hour, waiting for the girl to arrive. She was rushing through her work to leave early so that she could tend to her guest properly. And she…

"Good afternoon," Winry entered the office with a huge grin on her face. Her eyes were sparkling, and Mustang had a sudden reminiscence of major Armstrong.

This was too much.

"But what is going on in here?!" the colonel burst out, moving his stare from one girl to the other. They both blinked synchronically. "What's with all those women coming to Central, what's with you," he pointed a finger at Winry, "staying at hers," he moved it to point at Riza, "and all that commotion in HQ which no one has told me about yet?!"

Havoc's gaze, directed at Roy, was saying _"How lame of you not to know."_

Winry glanced at Riza.

"May I…?"

She remembered the last time she mentioned the series. But the lieutenant just nodded with a small smile.

"Go ahead."

Winry cleared her throat and faced the colonel.

"There is a fan gathering in Central City."

"A fan…of wha…" before he could finish the last word realization dawned on him. He tried to shake it off. "You're not telling me…"

"…that Roy Mendez has come to Central and they are all here to meet him?" Havoc ended the sentence, quirking an eyebrow at Mustang. "Seriously, sir, what else could it be? And how come you don't know? They're talking about it everywhere!"

"And you're both going to the gathering?!"

He was looking at Riza, but it was Winry who answered his question.

"I'm going alone. Oh yes, miss Riza," she faced her temporary host. "I'm not sure when it will end, so I don't know what time I will be back. Could you maybe give me the keys or something? I don't want to wake you up if it will be late…"

"I'm going too," Riza flashed her a bright smile. She saw Roy's eyes go wide, so she grinned at him as well. This was her vendetta for his constant sulks lately. "Maria got sick and she won't be able to go, so she asked me to get an autograph on Philip's photo she gave me a few days ago."

Winry's jaw hung half-open. "You're going to get as close to Roy Mendez as to get him to give you an autograph?"

"Yup," her chin shot upward in content.

"Oh miss Riza, can I go with you to take it? Please!"

"Of course you can. We're going together, aren't we?"

Winry squeezed her eyes and gave a perfectly modulated in length and pitch ideal model of a fangirl squeal. The guys twitched at the sound.

"I'll just finish my work in a minute and we can go home," said Riza, chuckling under her nose.

"And you're going to attend the gathering?" Roy couldn't refrain himself from asking the question.

"I just told you that, colonel," the smile was sweeter than ever and only a certain flicker in her eyes betrayed how much fun she had doing this to him.

He leaned back in his chair.

"You're only going there to piss me off," he stated.

"No, not at all," she lied, still smiling. He cocked his head and made a face at her. She shrugged. Well, it wasn't like annoying Roy was the only reason for her going to the gathering, but it still was the most entertaining one.

Some part of her, however, was curious about the man she had been watching on the screen for so long. Will he look and behave different from what she saw? Obviously, he won't be acting anymore, but would it take the Mustang-ness from him? Would he be a completely different person?

And there was this photo to get signed. When Maria, deep in despair, gave her the picture, she spend whole three minutes staring at it. This meant she really would have to get close to Philip. To actually _talk_ to him. When she heard about the gathering, she wasn't sure she wanted to attend. But since Maria assigned her the task, there was no longer any other option. The decision had been made.

She wondered how it would turn out to be.

* * *

The girls spent the evening preparing for the next day. They would probably have to get up early to, if possible, avoid the crowd. Riza was making them some sandwich (heaven knew if they would get a chance to eat a dinner) and Winry was feeding Black Hayate, who had welcomed her gratefully. At least _she_ didn't turn on her computer the instant she got back home from work. He was getting lonely with Riza paying more attention to her laptop than to her pet.

"It's nice to have someone who understands me," said Winry, getting up from her knees. "Edward always says I'm obsessed."

"Do you really think that I don't get the same here?" Riza smiled.

"Oh, I can imagine. With the colonel and all."

"Yeah, he's offended that the girls in Central adore Philip more than him."

"Really?" Winry grinned at the thought.

"Yeah. It pisses him off not to be the unique number one, I guess," she winked at her guest. Winry understood. _Guys are like kids sometimes._

"But how could any girl possibly not adore Philip?" the mechanic wondered. "He's soo…so everything!"

"I know."

"I think he's even more handsome than the colonel."

"True."

"Miss Riza," she wasn't sure she should ask the question, but the curiosity prevailed. "Don't you think Philip is a much better guy to date than the colonel? I mean, aside from the womanizing…"

"I guess you're right," she admitted casually. "You're talking about the caring stuff?"

"Yes. I just…well, I don't know the colonel that much, but… I just can't imagine him in such a situation. And Edward says that…" she stopped and blushed a little. Riza encouraged her to speak, so she finished tentatively: "…that he's too arrogant to care about anyone else than his own…fundament."

The lieutenant laughed at the comment. "Edward is very observant," she managed to say between her chuckles.

But this wasn't funny at all. The comment wasn't completely accurate, but…there was a grain of truth in it.

* * *

**A/N:** There was a fan gathering this summer in Warsaw (capitol of Poland, for those who don't know). But I didn't get to go because there was no Riza in there to provide me with a place to stay :(

Anyway, sorry for the late update. Now get ready for the fan gathering chapter :)

As always, please review.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Hello everyone! I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to update, but now I'm back in business. I got high grades in my literature exam, which is very funny because I hate literature. Oh well, apparently I got lucky ;)

I heard the fan gathering in Warsaw was great. I really regret that I couldn't be there, but I'm a writer, right? If Riza in my fanfic could be there, so can I ;)

Also, special thanks to BlackBrightField2007. Of course Havoc's name is Jean, not John. My mistake. Thanks for pointing it out to me. I've corrected it in the previous chapter.

**Disclaimer:** It's true I studied for my literature exam, but I claim no practical knowledge as concerns Japanese modern literature. Also, I don't own FMA or "Brzydula." Also, I still love Marek.

Enjoy the awaited chapter. It's extra long due to all the break since the last one.

* * *

Episode 4

The traffic was horrible. Fortunately, Riza predicted that and the girls managed to get to the gathering in time.

"Miss Riza, how are we going to do this?" Winry was devastated. Her eyes swept over thousands of fans on the field.

"Well, there must be a way," Riza frowned. "Don't worry for now, I'll think of something later."

Indeed, that was no time to get distracted. The girls could barely see the stage over the sea of heads, but they knew what was going on when a thousand-throat fangirl squeal pierced their ears. Roy Mendez had apparently showed up.

"Oh look, miss Riza!" Winry was jumping with excitement. "There's Joanne, and Patty!"

Most of the main cast had appeared on the stage. Joanne, a tall woman with long, blonde ponytail, was Philip's fiancée, whom he would probably leave for the main heroine later in the series. And Patricia, a petite brown-haired girl, was the ugly secretary, around whom the series was centered. She wasn't wearing any 'ugly girl' dress-up, but you could still recognize her easily.

Winry squealed with emotions. "I want their autographs as well!"

"Ok, we'll get to that one too," Riza smiled at her and returned her gaze to the man she had been watching all along.

Philip, or rather Roy Mendez, appeared to be as handsome as on the TV screen. His voice was beautiful when he spoke up to welcome everyone to the gathering. His smile was charming when he greeted the fans. His eyes were sparkling sweetly when he took the people in. The whole cast seemed to be happy and slightly surprised by the popularity of the series, but Riza had her eyes only for the main protagonist.

The show continued. The actors talked to the audience and the fans, especially fangirls, were on cloud nine. Finally it was announced that the cast were going to sign pictures.

"Miss Riza…" Winry begun with a worried expression.

"I know," the lieutenant placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. "It's fine. See that tent over there?"

Winry spun around to spot a wide orange tent a few hundred meters away.

"Yes."

"They are having a half-an-hour break now. You see, this is the tent they came out of in the beginning."

"Are you planning to sneak into it, miss Riza?"

"No, not actually. I'll just wait there or something… I'm not sure, I don't have a precise plan for now…"

"Can I go with you, miss Riza?"

"Of course, but stay close to me. I'll lead."

The girls started making their way through the crowd. The fans, however disappointed with the break, begun moving toward the stage, since it was the place where they would later line up for the autographs. The tent was in the opposite direction, so it was difficult to move in the human sea.

"Miss Riza!" Winry shouted after the lieutenant, because she got flooded away a bit.

"Come on, Winry!" Riza shouted back, trying to fight with the stream. "We're really close!"

She struggled for a while longer, but after a few minutes she was able to leave the crowd behind and breathe some fresh air.

"Winry?"

She turned around slowly, but her younger friend was nowhere to be seen.

"Winry? Where are you?"

There was no answer. Riza's mind worked quickly. Winry wouldn't get lost, she could at most get slowed down by the fans. And she knew perfectly where Riza was headed. Deciding that the mechanic would have to join her later, the lieutenant imperceptibly made her way to the tent.

Obviously, there was no way the tent would not be protected by the security. But no one who knew first lieutenant Riza Hawkeye would put it past her to be able to sneak into a guarded territory without attracting attention. It took her several more minutes to find an opening in the nearby trees to hide there, but soon she reached the back of the tent completely unnoticed. The military training proved to be worthy even in this situation.

She was just wondering how actually to get the autograph when she heard a noise behind her in the trees. Her hand automatically reached to her gun hidden under her skirt. She spun around and scanned the trees. Then she recognized Roy Mustang, emerging from the green wall. She sighed with relief, but got a bit annoyed. What was he doing here?

And then she noticed her mistake. Being alert, she went with the first association that came to her mind. It was only natural that seeing the man would bring the colonel to her head. However, it was someone else.

Roy Mendez stared at her, undoubtedly surprised by her relieved face.

"Um…hello," he started, unsure.

"Oh…hello," Riza replied, feeling the awkwardness in the air.

"What are you doing here?"

His suspicious look gave her an impression that he was on the verge of calling the security. Sure as hell, such a man would be endlessly bugged by fangirls. Riza acted quickly.

"I was just wondering if you could sign this for my friend," she swiftly pulled the photo out of her pocket and presented it to him. "She got really sick and couldn't come, so she asked me if I could find you and…"

He quirked an eyebrow.

"A friend…?"

"Yes," Riza turned a deaf ear to the disbelief in his voice. "Really. So if you could just sign this photo, and maybe one paper leaf, I'll leave and I promise you will never see me again."

She smiled uneasily. It was hard to talk to him. She felt like she knew him so well, yet it wasn't the man in whose company she had spent half of her life. She'd better remember that. But to see him with this look on his face, with the eyes that said "who the hell are you woman" while she watched him everyday on the screen and knew perfectly who _he_ was… To feel the distance in his manners while she spent so much time memorizing his every gesture… No, wait, it was Mustang she was thinking about now. _Do not mix them, do not mix them…_

But if they were alike in so many ways, maybe she really knew this actor quite well, even if this was the first time they actually had met?

"Here you are."

Riza blinked a few times and stared at the signed photo. Roy Mendez gave her a small smile.

"Anything else?"

"Miss Riza!" suddenly Winry emerged from between the trees. Apparently, she had some sneaking skills as well. "Oh I'm so glad I found you, I…"

She stared at the actor for several seconds. But just as she opened her mouth to give a quiet fangirl squeal, Riza noticed Roy's expression and quickly put a hand over Winry's lips.

"Don't."

"Thanks," Roy sighed in relief. "No offence, but that sound freaks me out."

Riza nodded to herself. "That's understandable."

"You got the autograph!" Winry turned her attention to the photo instead. "Lieutenant Ross will be so happy!"

Roy gazed at Riza with evident surprise. "So it _really_ was for a friend?"

"Yes," she smiled at him sweetly. "Mine is here," she handed him a small piece of paper. "I'd appreciate it if you'd give me your autograph as well."

He glanced at her and hesitated a bit, but signed the paper.

"Me too, please," Winry took out three pictures and gave him one of them. When he signed it as well, she thanked him, turned to Riza and whispered: "I don't know how I'm gonna get the rest though…"

"It's fine," the actor suddenly offered his help. "Whom else do you want?"

"Patricia and Joanne," the girl was astounded.

Roy smiled at the use of their 'series names', but took the other pictures from her hand. "Just wait here a bit and I'll see what I can do. They probably won't come out, it's their break time after all, but at least you won't have to wait in the line."

"Really?" Winry's eyes sparkled. "Thank you so much!"

"Give me a minute," he walked into the tent. He was back after a short while.

"Here."

The mechanic stared at two other autographs.

"I. Can't. Believe. It," she managed to whisper.

"It's nothing," Roy assured her, but strangely enough, he was looking at Riza instead. She felt her cheeks blush a little.

"I guess we should get going now," she said quickly. "It's _your_ break time as well."

"It was nice to meet you," Winry grinned, though looked disappointed to leave Philip so early.

"Nice to meet you too," he answered politely. "Both of you."

He gave them one last glance and disappeared in the tent. The girls exchanged looks and said simultaneously: "Wow."

Just as they turned around, they saw a security guard. He was staring straight at them.

There was no time to lose. Riza pulled Winry's hand and headed toward the trees.

"Run!!!"

* * *

The girls managed to get out safely, but they couldn't return to the rest of the gathering. It didn't matter, though. The autographs in their hands compensated for the loss completely. When they were driving home, Winry was jumping up and down with excitement. She'd never thought she'd make such memories from the gathering. Riza was happy as well. The Roy Mendez she imagined exactly matched the real one: nice, gallant and charming. It was a pity that was their first and last meeting, but it was definitely worth it to go there.

Besides, now she could piss Mustang off even more. Mwahaha.

Winry left the next day. Riza, on the other hand, had to go back to work. She expected hell. She knew one day off for her meant a day off for everyone else in the office.

Maria, who just a few days earlier was able to come to work and give Riza the photo, had taken five days off to recover. Riza placed the signed picture in her desk drawer to hand it to her friend when she got back to work. Her own autograph lay safely next to the computer on her desk at home.

Of course, the first thing the colonel asked her about was the gathering.

"How was it?" he tried to sound only mildly interested. Yes, he failed.

"Great," Riza pulled out new documents and started skimming through the first one.

"Did you get the autograph for lieutenant Ross?"

"Of course I did. I never fail to do the task I've been assigned."

"Yes, that's true." So she did talk to him. To that Philip or Mendez guy, or whatever.

"And I got a autograph for myself as well," she smiled at her superior casually. He stared at her.

"For yourself? Why would you need it?"

"Well, since I was already talking with Roy Mendez, why wouldn't I ask him for an autograph? Winry got one too. And then, imagine that, colonel, he asked his friends to sign Winry's two other photos as well."

"What do you mean 'he asked his friends'?"

"You know, the two actresses that played other leading parts. They were having a break, but Roy Mendez was as kind as to get them to sign the pictures. He spared us some time and effort because all the other fans had to wait in the line."

The colonel was speechless. So not only did she talk to the actor, but she was also given special attention from him.

He had a bad feeling about this.

"I'd never thought you were the one to go after fame, lieutenant," he stated nonchalantly.

"What makes you think so now? Did I do something inappropriate, getting an autograph from an actor?" she glared at him.

"Well I don't know about inappropriate, but I just can't see why he would…show favor to you."

Havoc made the face-palm gesture. He could clearly see the mistake in those words. His suspicions got confirmed when Riza's nostrils flared dangerously.

"Oh really. You don't?"

"Well, when you have thousands of fans, you would need a special reason to pick one of them and give them more attention than the others get, right? Otherwise, they are all equal."

Havoc's forehead hit the desktop. Hard.

"For your information, colonel," Riza was glaring daggers at her superior, "sometimes you pay attention to somebody not because they have done something to attract it on purpose, but because they seem special to you. Because you feel there is something more to them than meets the eye."

Not that she thought Philip had seen more in her than just another fangirl. But it wasn't about Philip anymore.

"Of course," Roy agreed, "but what I mean is, you two met just yesterday. It takes time to take a liking to someone. And from what you have told us, he just picked you out of the blue. So my point is, you had to do something to stand out."

"I sneaked into his tent to get an autograph!" she said slowly. "Happy now?"

"You…what?!"

"You heard me."

"Why would you do that?"

"Because I didn't want to waste my time and wait 'till he takes a liking to me," she answered sarcastically.

He grimaced. "Well lieutenant, I thought you were the type to take things slowly. Not jumping out and attracting attention of random strangers."

"But what? Sitting still and waiting for someone to notice me?"

"No…I mean like, not rushing a relationship but taking your time developing it."

"I'm not in a relationship with Roy Mendez, I just got his autograph, for God's sake!"

"I know," now he was wary because of her outburst. "I didn't mean that…"

"And for your information," Riza was so angry that she no longer paid attention to what she was saying, "taking my time to develop a relationship has not worked out for me. Because, how long can you wait?"

"Patience always brings fruit," he answered sententiously.

Havoc's forehead hit the desktop. Repeatedly.

Riza couldn't believe her own ears.

"What?" she gasped with fury. Needless to say, Roy didn't catch the double meaning in his words, so he was clueless.

"Erm…what?" he eyed her with fear and leaned back in his chair.

"Oh!" Riza exclaimed to control her temper and shut her eyes. She was still for a moment. Then, without another word, she stood up and left the office, slamming the door behind herself.

Roy gulped and gazed at Havoc with wide eyes.

"What was that about?" he asked quietly.

Havoc stared at him blankly. Really, what a moron.

* * *

Later that day Riza was sitting in a coffee shop. She needed to calm herself after work. Sitting all day long with that stupid Mustang in one office was driving her mad. Of course, he didn't even know he had hurt her. He never realized that.

Havoc tried to calm her down, but he failed. However, he at least _cared_. Riza wondered why such a good man like him could not find a girlfriend, whereas Mustang was an idol.

The ordered coffee came ten minutes later. All tables were taken, so Riza had to share one with a man in sunglasses. He was reading a newspaper all the time, holding it high in front of himself. It reminded Riza of those movies when a detective tries to hide himself exactly the same way so that he can follow the suspects.

She didn't care. The guy was strange, but she had other problems to deal with.

The waitress who brought her coffee turned to the man and asked:

"Would you like another tea, sir?"

He cleared his throat and answered. "Yes, please."

When the waitress left, Riza stared at the newspaper which separated her from the man. He tried to conceal his identity, but she recognized the voice. Truth to be said, she'd recognize it anywhere.

Slowly, she extended her index finger, hooked it onto the upper brink of the newspaper and pulled down. She was right. The face in sunglasses was way too familiar.

She couldn't see it because of the dimmed glass, but he gaped at her.

"It's you!"

"Don't worry, I won't give you away," she assured him quietly. But she couldn't suppress the smile forming on her lips.

He smiled at her as well. "Thank you. It's the second time you save me."

"It's ok, I do it all the time," she joked. He laughed quietly.

"I have to pay you back. Your coffee is on me then."

"Really, you don't have to…"

"I insist."

"Well…" she smiled uneasily. "I don't know…"

"Oh come on," he folded the newspaper and laid it on the table. "You're the only person who knows my identity here and you're not…you know."

"Yeah," she chuckled. "I have a couple of friends who are big fans of yours. I know how they behave. I imagine it must be hard to endure all the pressure…and all the fame of course. Although I never had to wear sunglasses in a coffee shop and hide myself with a newspaper, so I'm not sure I know the feeling."

He sighed. "I tell you - you're lucky."

* * *

**A/N:** I've always wondered why Havoc doesn't have a girlfriend. I think I talked about it in some of my other fics. I mean, he's so nice and handsome. Strange o.O

Also, to all the girls in the audience: it's true. Men never realize the double meaning. It's an established fact, so don't get deluded. On the other hand, they rarely intend their words to be ambiguous, so I guess it's no wonder.

I hope I'll manage to update the next chapter before Valentine's Day. I'm not sure if there will be romance in there, but I'll try my best. So be patient and please review.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** I think I've got some kind of 'flow' now. I have outlines for the next three chapters (I don't know what happens after that, though – let us all be surprised). Maybe that's because I'm home, which is where I started writing this fic, so my room is kind of…I don't know… Fanfiction friendly?

Trivia: The Polish actor fears his fangirls. He once said that they make that strange noise when they see him. It's high pitched and they all do it in unison. Poor guy, he was defining a fangirl squeal, of course. Men will never understand why we do this. It freaks them out, really.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own "Brzydula" or any version of the series. I don't own FMA. I do own the plot only.

Enjoy the fifth episode…I mean chapter.

* * *

Episode 5

"Tell me a bit about yourself."

"Me?" Riza almost choked on her coffee. "Why me?"

"Oh please, I've been asked so many times about myself. You know, interviews and such stuff…"

She was surprised to see his bored face. Was he whining about the attention he had been getting?

Gosh, so different from Mustang. Maybe they really weren't that much alike after all.

"If you don't want to be interviewed, why do you agree then?"

"My manager says I should do it. You know, I'm still kind of new in the business, this series is my first big job, so to say. I still have to work hard to get to the top."

Ok, they _were_ similar. In some ways, at least.

"What if you prepared yourself beforehand?" Riza joked. "Like writing the answers for the most common questions in a notebook. Then you could just hand it to the reporter and say 'here you have everything you need, please choose as you like.'"

Roy smiled and nodded once. "Believe it or not, I've already thought about it. The questions are the same over and over again."

"Why didn't you do it yet?"

"Didn't have the time to write it all down, I guess. But don't change the subject. We were supposed to talk about you."

Riza sighed in thought. "I'm not that interesting, you know."

"That's something _I_ should decide, right?"

"Ok," the lieutenant rested her chin on her clasped hands. "So, to begin with, I'm a military officer."

"You're in the military?" he gaped at her. "You're kidding, right?"

"Nope. Is that so hard to believe?"

"Well, I haven't had much in common with the military, but I've always associated the army with big, manly women… You certainly _don't_ look like one. I hope you get some respect from the men nonetheless."

"Yeah, I can handle them quite well," she smirked. Roy pretended to lean back.

"Scary!"

"I think they say that too."

"Ok, so a military officer. What else?"

"I have a pet."

"A dog or a cat?"

"A dog. His name is Black Hayate."

"A big one like Doberman or something like a spitz?"

"Why are you so interested?"

"You know," he pretended to provide a serious explanation. "If I wanted to break into your apartment, I would have to know what to expect in advance."

Riza smiled at the joke, but didn't give up. "Fine, but really. Why do you ask?"

"I'm just trying to move the conversation forward. Besides, I've always wanted to be on the other side. See what it is like to be the one asking questions. But I won't go into private matters, stuff like kids or husband, so don't worry," he winked at her.

Riza contemplated him for a while. Then she answered:

"Black Hayate is more of the spitz type. And I don't have any kids or a husband, in case you wonder."

"So you're single?" he asked before he could stop himself. Riza felt flattered at the disbelief in his voice.

"I'm afraid I can't answer that," she showed him her empty cup. "My coffee is gone. I should get going as well."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be nosy," he seemed truly concerned.

"It's ok, I just shouldn't be sitting here when I have some stuff to do at home," she reassured him and gathered her things. "It was nice talking to you, though. I truly do hope we meet again someday."

Roy hesitated, but when Riza stood up he quickly made up his mind.

"Why not tomorrow then?" he offered. "If you don't have much time, I could pick you up from work and we could drink coffee in a whichever café is near. My treat again."

Riza couldn't help but stare at him. That was quite unexpected. Men usually did not invite her for a coffee. Especially not popular men.

But then again…why not?

* * *

Several days later Mustang finally let it go. He returned to his normal self, though he would still twitch a bit when his lieutenant was leaving the office at 4 p.m. and heading to the TV room.

What was more, Maria returned to work. First thing when she set her foot in the HQ she went straight to Mustang's office. When Riza handed her the signed picture, she exclaimed in excitement.

"Thank you so much! You're great!"

"It was nothing," the blonde lieutenant smiled to herself. Somewhere to the left Roy snorted quietly. "I'm sorry you couldn't go, though."

"Yeah," Maria's enthusiasm eased a bit. "I've watched the retransmission, but it wasn't the whole event, of course. But well, if there's gonna be another gathering, nothing will stop me from being there."

"If it makes you feel better, me and Winry had to leave early. We only saw the actors on the stage and got the autographs. So we missed most of that too."

"Next time we'll go together. We'll be the last ones to leave," Maria grinned.

"Sure," Riza promised and watched the door close behind her friend. She ignored Mustang's sneer and dropped her gaze onto the documents.

But she didn't see the papers at all. Her hand tapped the pen against the desk with no fixed rhythm as she sank deep in her thoughts.

She'd been seeing Roy Mendez almost every day now. Today after work he was going to pick her up again and take her somewhere. He didn't want to tell her where. Riza wasn't afraid, she carried her guns on her at all times, but there was something else bugging her.

She had a date. Today she had a date with Roy Mendez. The most popular guy in all Amestris, the idol of thousands of girls in the country, and well, her own idol too. At first she couldn't believe it, but her initial shock at the thought had eased a bit by now. However…

When he asked her if she was single, she didn't know how to answer the question. What could she say? 'Yes, I'm single, but there is someone I love with all my heart and I'm currently waiting for him to notice me'? That was ludicrous. On the other hand, the option 'oh yes, I'm single, period' would mean that there was no man in her life, right? Which wasn't true at all. She wasn't sure if Philip was hitting at her at that time, but let's set that aside. The situation posed a question she probably had never voiced before. What if a man, any man, wanted to date her? Would she try to forget Mustang and finally move on? Or would she turn the guy down, because she knew she could never love anyone else the way she loved her colonel?

The last one was, sadly, true. What she felt for Mustang was something she could never experience again. So if she knew she couldn't give any other man as much as she could give to Roy, should she get into a relationship nevertheless? Should she give other men a chance?

Riza never expected Roy Mendez to want a date with her, but that was clearly what he had in mind when he suggested the meeting. However, the lieutenant wasn't sure she should go. She wasn't prepared to date someone and try to forget about the colonel. She felt like she should give herself some time…because the possibility had never occurred to her before.

She'd never thought about any other man. She was always sure that the only one she wanted was Mustang and no one else. That she wouldn't be happy with anyone else. That she would still think about Mustang, compare him to the guy and the latter would always be the second one in her life.

On the other hand, Roy Mendez seemed to be the man she had been looking for. The prince charming. They hit it off from the word "go". He was polite and gallant. And most of all, he seemed interested in her.

To Mustang, she could as well be a part of furniture.

"Riza?" Havoc's eyes were fixed on her jumping pen. "Is everything all right?"

"What?" she looked at him half-consciously. "Oh…yeah, I just got lost in my thoughts."

She concentrated on her work for the rest of the day, so she managed to finish it on time. Still a bit hesitant, she left the office when her work time ended.

Ten minutes after her departure the door to the office burst open.

"Hello everyone!" lieutenant colonel Maes Hughes marched spryly into the room. "How have you been?"

"Hello, Maes," Roy greeted his friend. "Good thing you didn't come five minutes later, I was just about to leave."

Hughes exchanged greetings with all the other men in the office. Then he walked up to Roy and elbowed him.

"I can see you've got some gossip to share with me," he winked at his friend.

"What do you mean?"

"Why, lieutenant Hawkeye, of course."

Mustang frowned. "What about her?"

"I just saw her leaving the HQ with some man. At first I thought it was you, but he was taller. So who was he? Does our Riza have a date today?"

Havoc stared at the lieutenant colonel. So did Roy.

"I don't know what you're talking about. She left with a man?"

"Don't tell me you've missed everything! How come you don't know about Riza's dates?"

"What did he look like, sir?" asked Havoc. Curiosity got the better of him.

"I don't know exactly, I didn't see his face. They were already walking away. I only know he had black hair, like Roy."

Mustang and Havoc exchanged glances. What was happening here?

"Anyway," Hughes returned to his normal self. "Who wants to see my new pictures of Elicia?"

* * *

Riza turned around slowly, taking the view in.

"A palm house?" she asked in awe.

"Do you like it?"

"It's beautiful! How did you get he idea?"

"My friend used to bring me here to show me how the light spreads over the leaves. He's a photographer. He always says it's fascinating to watch the plants. They're all green, but each one represents a different shade. And there are hundreds of them in here, so wherever you go, you actually discover a new color." He looked at Riza. "That's what he says: 'discover.'"

"Do you like photography as well?"

"To me it's more of a hobby. But if I didn't succeed as an actor, I would probably pursue the career of a photographer."

"Yeah, you must really regret you did so well acting," Riza pretended to be sorry.

"Oh come on, it's just a TV series. I want something really big, like a famous theater play. Shakespeare or such."

They sat down on a bench. Roy glanced at Riza and moved slightly towards her.

"So, what's your hobby? Apart from feeding your dog?"

She chuckled. "I guess it would be shooting. I spend much time at the shooting range."

"Oh," he seemed impressed. "That's something unusual. For a woman especially."

"Don't make fun of me or I'll shoot you," she grinned.

"I'm not making fun of you. I just don't see why such a feminine woman would join the military."

Riza bit her lip. He didn't have to know it was because of Roy. That _other_ Roy.

"And don't threaten me." He didn't seem to have noticed anything. "You know I can ruin your fun as well."

"No! You promised: no spoilers!"

"See? I have you over the barrel."

"Big thing. You're little menace wont hold for long now."

That was true. The final episode was to be aired the following week.

"But the closer to the end, the worse the spoiler can get," he smirked.

There was a short silence before Riza asked:

"Speaking of time, how long are you going to stay in Central?"

"Two or three weeks maybe. We've finished shooting the series, so we can all take a little break. Why do you ask?"

"No reason."

There was silence again. They both pondered for a while.

"Riza…I'm sorry to be so straightforward," Roy looked unsure whether it was right to say it, "but are you seeing anyone?"

She hesitated, surprised. "Well…I'm…actually…"

"You didn't answer my question when I asked if you were single," he blurted out, clearly trying to make up for the mistake, if it was one. "So I just wondered…that's all…"

"No." She stated firmly. "I'm not seeing anyone."

That was all. Riza supposed it meant she had subconsciously made up her mind.

"Good," Roy seemed satisfied, though a little astounded by the firmness in her voice. "Because if you were…you understand."

"Yeah. I know."

They sat next to each other for a few seconds. Then Roy turned to her, gently cupped her face with his hands and kissed her.

* * *

**A/N:** My eyes hurt. I really shouldn't be sitting all day long, either watching TV or writing fanfiction. I hope my 'lid and under eye gel' helps a bit. It's with eyebright and cornflower. Designed particularly for people who live mostly in front of the computer. Just like me.

About photography: it's actually the Polish actor's hobby, so I kinda borrowed it from him. And the palm house was Ula and Marek's favorite date place. Which means I borrowed that one as well. Regard this as a disclaimer.

Oh and how do you like my cliffhanger? It's really nice, isn't it?

Please review and I'll see what I can do to update faster.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** I love leaving nasty cliffhangers. It's my own way for letting out my frustration because of the fact that FMA releases _only_ once a month and Naruto & Bleach release in WSJ _only _once a week. All three of them seem to be on the verge of ending soon. I'm positive they'll end at the same time and leave me alone and with nothing to read and…well nevermind. I guess that after that happens I'll turn to anime versions instead.

Regard this one as a Valentine Chapter. It's not quite what I had in plans for this day, I wanted to write a oneshot, but I got hooked on this one so I'll give you a cliffhanger-removing chappy instead. I have no one to spend the Valentines with, so I have plenty of time to post this today. I hope your Valentine's Day is better than mine ;) Though I'd lie if I said that writing fanfiction isn't great, even if it's a lonely Valentine's Day.

**Disclaimer:** Don't own FMA, don't own "Brzydula", love Marek, nothing's changed.

Enjoy the Valentine Chapter.

* * *

Episode 6

"I'm sorry…"

"No, it's ok."

"I hope you're not mad."

"Hey, I already said it's ok. You don't have to apologize."

His smile was so gentle when he stroked her cheek. "Good, 'cause I don't really regret it."

Riza's mind brought this memory to the surface the next morning when she was preparing to work. That was a slightly awkward moment, but she didn't regret it either. They parted not long after that, not actually having discussed it further.

The phone rang. The lieutenant, astounded that anyone could call her at this ungodly hour (well, to most people it probably was ungodly) picked the receiver up.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Riza, it's me."

"Roy," she said, startled.

"Sorry to call this early in the morning, but I hoped I could catch you before you go to work."

"Yeah, I'm still home. So what's up?"

"I just wanted to talk. I…want to clarify some things."

Riza bit her lip, unsure what her reply should be like. "You don't have to, really."

"No, I think I do. So, after your work?"

"Roy, seriously…"

"Please. I already called you. You have no idea how long I have been wondering if I should. So don't let my effort go to waste," he explained playfully.

The lieutenant chuckled. That guy was impossible. "Ok, fine then. After work."

"Good. I'll pick you up."

"Fine. See you later."

"See ya."

Riza put the receiver down. Black Hayate stared at her intently. She looked back at him.

"I have absolutely no idea what is going on here," she confessed. "And how I've gotten myself into this."

Then she pinned up her hair, grabbed her bag and left to work.

* * *

When she got to the office, everyone gave her such looks that it made her skin creep. She slowed her pace until finally she came to a stop.

"What's wrong?" her eyes swept over the men. Suddenly they all looked innocent. Riza frowned, but it wasn't the first time they acted incomprehensibly to her, so she just let it go.

At lunchtime Havoc caught her with a conspirational face.

"What?" she asked halfheartedly, giving him a disapproving look.

"Yesterday lieutenant colonel Hughes dropped in to say hello."

"He's in Central? What a shame, Winry wanted to see him so much and she was here only a week ago."

"It's not about Winry, it's about you."

Riza blinked a few times. "Does it have anything in common with your unusual greeting today?"

"Well…yeah. You see, the lieutenant colonel saw you leave the HQ with a…date."

She stared at him blankly, but she quickly regained her composure. "A date? That's what he said? And how could he know it was a date?"

"He saw you with a man," Havoc corrected himself and gave her an encouraging look. "So…? Are you going to keep it a secret?"

"Did he recognize him?" Riza ignored the question. "Did he see his face?"

"The face of your handsome tall raven-haired date?" the second lieutenant said in an exaggerated voice. "Nope, he didn't. He just took him for Mustang at first."

They gazed at each other in silence.

"Riza, it's really not that hard to put two and two together…"

"Ok, ok!" she snorted a bit annoyed. "I did have a date yesterday."

"With Roy Mendez?"

"Yes. I mean…I'm not sure…"

"If it was Roy Mendez?"

"If it was a date!"

Havoc stared at her. "How can you not be sure?"

Riza leaned against the wall. "I just don't know… It's happening so quickly… One day I get his autograph and a week later I go on a date with him!"

"So…" Havoc was wary, "you did do something to attract his attention."

"No! It was a coincidence. We met in a coffee shop the next day. I had no idea whatsoever, I just wanted my coffee and…" she threw her arms in the air helplessly, "he was there."

"But why are you so upset? You met a guy, you had a date, what's wrong with that?"

There was silence again.

"Riza…?"

She gave him an almost tormented look. "Jean, I… I'm not sure I want this."

"Because of Mustang?"

The lieutenant nodded slightly. She looked so sad her friend felt sorry for her. He put his arm around her shoulders. His next words came in a much more gentle voice.

"You don't have to care about Mustang, you know."

"That's quite different from what you told me earlier," Riza smiled a bit.

"The situation has changed. I wasn't pro deluding yourself with visions of a fictional guy, but this one is real. I say you should try."

"Even though you still think Mustang is perfect for me."

"Well…yeah. Exactly," he conceded. "But like I said, as long as he treats you only as a friend, in my opinion, you're free to date anyone you want to."

"I think that's the problem, Jean," she sighed. "I don't know if I want to choose him over Mustang."

He gazed at her seriously. "You know I can't tell you that one."

Riza rested her head on his shoulder. "Yeah. But thanks anyway. It's good to have support."

* * *

The colonel was much more patient. He waited for everyone to leave home and when it was only him and Riza in the office, he asked the question. It had been bugging him all day long.

"Maes told us you had a date yesterday," he begun casually. She glanced at him and returned to packing her things.

"Yes, I did."

"Was it supposed to be a secret?"

"No, not actually."

He almost physically felt the coldness in her tone. The strategy had to be changed.

"Riza, I know we haven't been getting on fine lately…"

"That's a nice euphemism for the fact that recently we have been doing nothing but fighting, sir," she put a subtle emphasis on the last word.

"Hey, let's make up for that." He really meant it. He had been tired of quarreling with a woman whom he usually got along with famously. "We're still friends, aren't we?"

"Yup, we're friends," she smiled ironically to herself.

"You used to tell me about stuff going on in your life," his voice sounded a little like a complaint.

"I don't think it's necessary that you know about this one. Actually, I'm pretty sure it's rather inadvisable for you to know."

Roy frowned in surprise. "Why?"

Riza straightened up and gazed at him, offended. "Because I don't want any more quarreling."

"What are you talking…" he stopped when he heard a knock on the door. He exchanged looks with Riza, but she appeared as clueless as he was himself. The lieutenant went to answer the door.

"Yes?" and then she froze. "Oh…hi."

"Hi," Roy couldn't see the man since the door was still half-closed, but he thought he'd heard that voice somewhere before. "I'm sorry, I got here early and…"

"How did you get inside?" she gaped at him when she realized how impossible it was for a stranger to walk through the corridors of a military HQ. "What did you do?"

He seemed uneasy. "Well…you know…the receptionist saw me and…kinda…"

"Ok I get it," she gasped quietly when it dawned on her. If you were famous, you could achieve anything, apparently.

"Can I come in? Or are we leaving already?"

"Oh, of course…" Riza opened the door wider to let him into the office. Holding her breath, she turned to the colonel to watch his reaction.

Mustang's eyes couldn't've been wider. He watched the actor intently and vice versa. Riza's gaze moved from one to the other. It was the first time that the differences between them were so striking to her. The resemblance really wasn't that big.

"This is Roy," the lieutenant introduced the guest. "And this…this is my boss."

Philip smiled and pointed at him. "You're colonel Mustang," he said like he'd just solved a riddle.

"Erm…yes, that's me," Roy didn't know how to comment on that one. "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too. Riza told me a bit about you."

"Is that how you recognized me?" the colonel's eyes darted toward his lieutenant for a split second.

"No. It's just that ever since I entered the HQ, everyone would call me 'colonel Mustang' and I couldn't quite figure out why. Now I see the reason."

Riza felt like her eyes played tricks on her. She realized the situation was one hundred percent reality, yet she couldn't deny the tinge of surrealism to it. Ever since she started watching the series, she wondered what it would be like to have both Roys meet and stand next to each other. When Mustang went with her to the TV room to watch the episode, she got a taste of the experience, being able to compare them just by focusing her gaze on the screen and then on the colonel. But to have them here in the office, in real space, was something she'd never thought she could achieve. So as much as she fought to resist the feeling of an illusion, she found it quite entertaining.

"Hey, we're really not that alike," Mustang pointed out explicitly.

"Of course we're not," Mendez agreed like it was obvious right from the start. "But I can see why they took me for you, at first at least."

"Yeah, I guess," the colonel still sounded slightly offended. Riza made a quick comparison and for the first time in her life it hit her how her superior wasn't that handsome. She remembered what came to her mind when she first saw Philip on the screen.

"Beta version," she thought and chuckled to herself. Both men looked at her in surprise. Noticing that, she cleared her throat and faced Philip.

"Let's go," she smiled at him widely and grabbed her bag. She had already changed her clothes: instead of the military uniform, she was wearing a light blue blouse and a black, knee-length skirt. And she realized that her date wasn't the only one appreciating the sight.

"Yeah," Mendez walked up to Mustang and they shook hands. "Glad I met you."

"Yeah, me too," Roy watched as the actor opened the door for his lieutenant. She threw him a glance over her shoulder.

"Goodbye, sir."

He answered almost automatically: "Goodbye, lieutenant."

The couple disappeared behind the door. Roy, still not sure what had just happened, leaned against his desk. He folded his arms on his chest. A few seconds later he unfolded them and ran one hand through his hair. Then he ran both. He straightened up, walked around the desk to his chair, sat down and rested his chin on his palm, deep in thought.

* * *

Riza and Roy Mendez sat down in a coffee shop.

"So what did you have to do?" she asked, stirring her coffee.

"She told me that she'd let me in if I gave her an autograph," he rolled his eyes. Riza chuckled.

"What happened to your brilliant camouflage?"

"Hey, I can't be always wearing sunglasses and reading a newspaper, right? I really have to devise something else, though."

"One would think you'd get used to it."

"Oh no. That whole famous thing was so sudden I still don't know how to handle it."

"You mean you've never been popular in the slightest until now?"

"You could say that. And well…that's exactly what I wanted to talk about."

Riza gazed up at him. His serious face made her uneasy.

"Look, I know what they say about guys like me," he begun slowly. "That they date whomever they want and they dump girls after a week because there's always another one."

The lieutenant didn't know where this was headed, but she listened intently as he continued.

"I want you to know that I'm not like that," he ran his fingers through his hair in a very Mustang-like gesture. "I mean…you're someone special to me. I know that it's not something you say to a person you met just a week earlier, but… I realize you might think that I'm only fooling around…and that yesterday I simply tried to get you to bed or something…" he listened to his own words, grimaced and buried his face in his hands. "I'm talking rubbish, aren't I?"

"Yes, you are," Riza's smile grew wider every second as she nodded. He caught the strange note in her voice and looked up at her. He saw she could hardly suppress a laugh. He bit his lip, smiling as well.

"Hey, it's not funny! I'm trying to be serious here."

"I know," she grinned and Roy realized she wasn't making fun of him, but that it was a smile of happiness.

He cared what she thought. He cared how she felt. He tried to make himself clear because she might misunderstand his intentions. Riza supposed she had never gotten that much attention from any other man.

"You think I'm a fool."

"No," she denied. "I think you're sweet."

That wasn't exactly the adjective most men would want themselves to be described with, but Roy got the point.

"I really mean what I said," he assured her. "If you comprehended that prattle, that is."

"I think I got the general meaning."

In this one fleeting moment it occurred to her what stroke of luck it actually was. Here in front of her sat a man for whom she had been waiting for so long. Someone who concerned himself with her, who made an effort to explain himself however stupid that might turn out. Someone who put her first. Riza suddenly remembered watching the episode when Philip wanted to call Patricia, but wasn't sure what to tell her. He laid on his bed, twirling the cell phone in his hands, getting up to make the call and the next second laying back and putting the phone aside. She wondered if that was what it looked like in the morning before her own phone rang. And then she remembered wishing she had someone like that in her life. Well, here he was.

Roy's fingers gently touched her hand.

"I'm glad that's clear. And what about you?" he added jokingly. "I hope you're not the type to play with feelings of an honest man."

"No, I'm not."

"Well, as a matter of fact, I nailed you today with a man alone in the office," he wondered out loud, but he didn't see the slight blush on Riza's cheeks. "How can I know what you were doing there…"

"He's my boss," she cut him out, successfully concealing the bitterness and anger. "And my friend, actually. But that's all. It's me who should be suspicious," she pointed out, passing the buck playfully. "For you it was just today. But I have been watching you go after some other girl for weeks now."

"That's just a TV series!"

"Well, you're probably going to end up together…" she continued, pretending the wavering.

"I thought you didn't want any spoilers," he smirked, joshing her.

"It's not a spoiler, everyone knows that."

He contemplated her face for a while and then leaned over the table. When his lips touched hers, Riza closed her eyes and without thinking much she gave in to the sensation. The kiss was sweet, tender and lasted much longer than the first one.

Roy pulled away a bit.

"Believe me," he whispered with a small smile. "In real life, me and Patricia are just friends."

* * *

**A/N:** Yup, better remember that last one. There are many people who confuse reality with what is happening on the screen and then they go: "oh look, I know they are just actors, but then again, the way he kisses Ula is waaaaay different from how he kisses any other girl! You can see that, right? There must be something between them in real life as well!" No. It only means they're both good actors (which for the Polish version is very true).

It's funny though how Marek, wherever he shows up, gets invited with Ula the ugly protagonist and never with Paulina, the woman who had been his fiancée for three fourths of the series.

One more thing: I've always, like, always wanted to see my friend next to the actor. You know, like in this chapter with Roy and Roy. Ever since I begun watching the series. I think if that happened I would notice how different they actually look. When you see only one at a time, you're prone to believe they're almost the same.

My writer flow continues. So the next chapter Roy the colonel will get some real action. It's Royai, after all.

As always, please review!


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** My eyes are much better now. Yay for the cornflower and eyebright.

Also, I'm terribly sorry for the delay. There were tests, exams and all that crap. I'm back in business for a while, so let's use the opportunity well. To make up for the break, the chappy is extra long.

I hope you enjoyed the Valentine Chapter. However I'm aware that the chapter you've been waiting for is _this_ one. Where colonel Mustang finally moves his ass and actually does something. Yes, it's all in here.

Trivia: the friend of mine is a law graduate. Ever since I've made friends with him, I've become aware how crucial things like disclaimers and other seemingly insignificant statements can be. So here you are:

**Disclaimer:** I don't own FMA. I don't own "Brzydula". I don't own Marek. I don't own my friend. I don't know why I have to do this in every chapter but that's what FFN says so I'd better stick to that.

Please enjoy.

* * *

Episode 7

It was weekend and Maes decided he and Roy could go out and talk about all the recent events over a glass of cool beer. So they sat down in a pub, ordered the beverage that unites all men in the world (for women the drink that works the same way is tea) and indulged in a long conversation. When they were through military, Hughes's family and some motorization stuff Maes finally said:

"You don't look well. What's wrong?"

Roy pondered a while. "I saw the guy Riza's dating."

"You saw him?" Hughes's eyes sparkled with curiosity. "What is he like?"

"Your enthusiasm with gossip is amazing," Mustang smiled faintly.

"I just like being up-to-date. So? Are you going to tell me or not?"

Roy wasn't sure how to start, but he quickly made up his mind. "Have you heard about that series where an ugly girl works in a fashion house or something?"

"Yeah, 'Ugly Patty'. Gracia watches it everyday."

"Have you seen any episode?"

"No, I'm not interested in _that_," he answered, disgusted. "But Gracia told me there was a guy who kinda resembled you. Did you know that?"

"Listen carefully," Roy leaned forward over his beer. "Riza somehow got his autograph and Heaven knows how come, not even a week later she had a date with him."

Maes stared at him. "With _that actor_?"

"Yeah."

"How do you know? She told you?"

"Nope," Mustang straightened himself. "I saw him in my office picking her up."

"Oh…yeah, right."

They sat in silence for a minute. Maes frowned and looked attentively at his friend.

"It's really amazing that she picked up an actor, but I still don't see why that would piss you off."

"I'm not pissed off!" he messed his hair.

"So what's wrong then?"

"I…I don't know, ok? She just started dating this jerk and…"

"How do you know he's a jerk?" Hughes tried to cool him down. It didn't work.

"He's an actor, for God's sake. He's famous and that's why she's with him. And he doesn't give a damn about her."

"Roy, I'm pretty sure Riza isn't that type of a woman," Maes objected carefully, "and she's certainly not that stupid to date a man who doesn't care."

"So how come they're a couple only a week after they met?"

"Maybe it was just…you know…love from the first sight?"

Roy snorted. "Only you could believe that kind of crap."

"But you know, me and Gracia…" Maes almost drifted off, but managed to come to his senses. "Nevermind. Anyway, can't you just let them be?"

"_Her_? With _him_?"

Maes went silent. He dropped his gaze and pondered for a minute. After taking a big sip of his beer he finally said in a low voice:

"I thought you weren't interested in Riza."

"I'm _not_!" Roy frowned. "Besides, how does it have to do anything with what we are talking about right now?"

"You're evidently jealous."

"I'm not jealous, I'm _worried_," he corrected.

"Yeah, worried that she's with someone else. That still goes under the definition of jealousy."

"We're friends, for God's sake!"

"Yeah, right. Listen, Roy," Maes got somewhat serious. "I've always thought that you two should be together. And I _know_, from certain sources, that she wanted it too. The reason you're not a couple is entirely you, but I thought that you just didn't want to be with her, and that was fine with me. But it seems that the problem was not that you didn't feel this way about her, but you didn't realize it."

"I'm not interested in Riza Hawkeye!" Roy said through gritted teeth. He certainly didn't like that theory.

"Really? Because I see no other explanation. I don't blame you; after all, you've been friends for quite long, it might've been hard to notice the change…"

"Would you stop it? You've got it all wrong."

Maes leaned back in his chair, beer in his hand. "Yeah? So _prove_ me wrong. Tell me _your_ version."

"I don't have to prove anything. She's dating a guy who could have any woman. Why would he choose her? Doesn't it concern you at all? It's obvious he's only using her."

"Roy, honestly, the fact that you didn't notice anything special about her doesn't mean _he_ couldn't do that."

"She is special! I know it. But…Maes," Roy leaned forth once again. "Her father left her to me. I should take care of her. And instead, can I simply sit around and watch that Mendez do whatever he wants with her?"

The idea of Riza Hawkeye letting anyone do to her whatever they wanted was quite inconceivable to Hughes, but he let it go. He only asked:

"You saw him, right? Did he seem manipulative to you?"

"Well, we didn't talk much…"

"Yes or no?"

"No, but how can I judge by appearances if…"

"Did he seem dangerous?"

Roy hesitated. "No, I guess not, but…"

"Violent?"

"No."

"Dishonest?"

"No, but…"

"Insincere?"

"No…"

"Then I stick to my words: you're simply jealous."

Roy leaned back and ran a hand through his hair. He closed his eyes. The silence prolonged. Maes watched his friend attentively until he finally spoke:

"You know I'm right."

Mustang sighed and replied quietly: "I know."

"So why didn't you admit it earlier?"

"I thought that if I…but I can't deny it. There's no way."

"What are you going to do now?"

"Dunno. Any ideas?"

Maes sipped his beer. "You should talk to her. Tell her how you feel."

"You're a helpless romantic, you know?"

"Maybe, but this can actually work."

"_Can?_"

"I can't tell what Riza'll do."

"I can't confess to her!"

"Of course not." Maes nodded, pretending to be dead serious. "And that is because…" he paused, pondered for a split second and raised his eyebrows at Roy, urging him to finish the sentence.

"Because I just can't."

"Oh, you're afraid she will reject you now. Understandable."

"Glad you saw the problem," Roy made a face at him.

"No, I meant understandable that you might get rejected. But anyway, there's no other option. Either you talk to her or you sulk quietly and lose her forever."

* * *

Riza laid flat on her bed, one arm hanging loosely over the edge. She was staring at the ceiling.

In her mind she was going through all the recent events: the first meeting with Philip, the dates, the kisses…

And then she saw her father's house and a young boy, burning the midnight oil over alchemy books…

"Crap," she muttered to herself. "What do I do now?"

The choice. She had to make one. She imagined them both, just like in the office the other day, and herself in between. Whichever one she chose, she would turn her back to the other one.

At first it was simple. Only Roy Mustang, substituted with a TV series character. Unrequited, but safe and less painful love. Then the character came to life, and Riza could no longer make anything of this. Everything happened so quickly. One day she was just an ordinary lieutenant watching a soap opera and the next day she was a famous actor's date. And now she had to choose between that actor and the love of her life.

Wait. The love of your life is supposed to love you back, right? That surely wasn't the case. Of course Mustang protested, of course he got angry, but that was simple jealousy. He probably couldn't stand being second to anyone. And Philip, he liked her for who she was, he wanted her because she attracted him, not because someone else wanted her as well.

The prince charming… Riza smiled to herself. It's been awhile since she stopped believing in the whole "happily ever after" thing. But it seemed her life went that exact way. Sometimes she even felt like a real princess, with the way Philip treated her. Gently, gallantly, like she was a flower he wanted to grow and cherish. And at the same time, he gave her what she needed: independency. Perfect balance.

And Roy Mustang was just whining like a little kid, who got his toy taken away from him…

Knock knock.

"Oh," Riza turned her head into the direction of the front door. She wasn't actually in the mood to see anyone, but since that 'anyone' had already come all the way here, she just had to answer.

She wondered if telepathy could actually be true when she saw her colonel on the doorstep.

"Hi," he greeted her and smiled faintly. She didn't smile back, just staring at him in surprise.

"Hi." After a short while she came to her senses. "Oh, please come in, sir."

He gave her a disapproving look as he stepped in. "We're not at work."

"Sorry, I forgot."

They entered the living room. Mustang sat on the bed. Riza mentally sighed – so much for her peaceful debating.

"You want some tea?"

"No, thanks. Juice, if you have."

"I think I have some orange juice in the fridge."

"My favorite one."

She finally smiled a bit. "Yeah, I know."

When he got the beverage, Mustang started casually: "So, what's new?"

Riza stared at him. "Excuse me?"

"You know, in your life," he sipped the juice to hide his nervousness. He thought he had never sounded more idiotic in his entire life. "I came to make up for the past few weeks, remember?"

"Well," she sat next to him and raised her eyebrows in thought. "Yesterday Maria dropped in for a tea. This morning Winry called me to talk about Friday's episode of 'Ugly Patty.' Oh, and Black Hayate seems to be off the weather lately because he doesn't eat as much as he used to. But it could be the temperature outside, it's getting hot."

He gazed at her, she stared back. Her expression was hard. "Oh…ok. And…what about your date? Did it go well?"

She shook her head. "I can't believe you actually came to talk about that."

"Riza, I'm just…"

"Curious?" she snapped. "Come on, you're…"

"I'm worried."

"Why?" she asked in disbelief.

"Look," he put his glass away and turned to her. "He's an actor. He's popular. Aren't you afraid that you might be just a brief affair? He can have a girlfriend in any city he goes to…"

"He's not that type of a man," she stated firmly. "You should have more faith in my judgment."

"I just want to know you're safe and that he doesn't hurt you."

"Yeah," she frowned. "That's exactly why I should tell you about our every date. Because you want to protect me."

"I…I didn't mean it like that, but…"

"You know what I think? _I_ think you're afraid of losing your position. You've always been the most popular guy and now there's someone who outdid you. You're no longer number one, Roy. Face it."

Her fiery gaze startled him. He tried to stop her, but she went on. The rage she felt caused her to lose any control over her words.

"You're trying to win this, but you won't. You want me to dump him and return to you, because then you will know there's no one better than yourself. If I chose you now, everything would go back to normal. Except that you would be certain that nobody could ever go one better than you. That no matter what happened and who came, I would still prefer you, and so would every girl in Central."

"Riza, you've got it all wrong!" he cut in, taking her hands in his. "You've…that's so wrong. You're not a trophy, for God's sake. Why would you think that?"

She calmed down a bit, but the hurt in her amber eyes was evident. "The timing," she almost whispered.

"What?"

"The timing," her voice got stronger. "I don't believe that crap about my safety. It's about us, about you and me. You want me back. But if you really wanted to be with me, you could've spoken up anytime. You know how I felt about you," she said bitterly, but in a softer voice. "You always know those things."

Roy looked down. "Yeah, I knew," he admitted quietly.

"I've done everything," her jaw clenched for a moment. "_Everything_. I thought of any possible way to make you notice me. But I've never been anything more to you that just a friend. You never ever tried to approach me in a different way, you've never even felt the temptation to do so! And only now, when someone else finally wants me, you come to me and say that I shouldn't go there! How do you explain this? You just felt the danger and you're trying to fix the situation in your own favor!"

Roy felt his insides twist. He'd never imagined it was that painful to her. But this face, looking at him with a mixture of anger and sorrow, made him realize how much it all cost her.

"Riza, first of all, I wouldn't do anything in my favor that would hurt you," he assured her softly. "Also, I understand that he likes you for who you are. Maybe I'm wrong, maybe he is an honest guy. I just…want you to consider…the other option."

"Which is?" she asked bitterly.

"Staying with me. As a couple."

Riza went still. Her slightly parted lips gave only one whisper.

"What?"

"A couple," Roy bravely went on. "You and me. Together. How would you like it?"

She shook her head in disbelief. She couldn't believe he'd just said it. Neither could he.

Looking him in the eye, she asked quietly: "Why?"

Well, he might as well go with Maes' advice and…

"Because…" he hesitated, but decided to be honest and tell her that. Better late than never. "Because I…"

Riza frowned slightly, a little uneasy. What was going on?

Finally Roy plucked up the courage, looked into her eyes and said in a single breath: "Because I love you."

She froze. Roy waited patiently for her reaction.

And then there was fire in her eyes. He didn't have time to comprehend the change as she slapped him across the cheek. Hard.

"Don't you dare mess with me!!"

"I…" now it was his turn to be disorientated. "What…"

"Don't. You. Dare." Riza stood up glared daggers at him. Her amber eyes were full of cold fury. "How dare you play with me like that?!"

"I'm not playing with you!" he raised to be on the level with her. "I would never…"

"I almost believed you, but this is too much! You know how I feel about you and you do something like this…!"

"I'm serious!" Why wouldn't she believe him? Her eyes started to well up with tears. He'd never seen so much hate in them before.

"Get out," she spit through gritted teeth.

"No, not until we talk…"

"_Get out!!!"_ she screamed. If he didn't leave at once, she was prepared to use brute force.

Roy eyed her up. As long as she was in this state, there was nothing he could do. He still didn't understand why she burst into such rage. She looked as if she would launch herself at him any second. Better not to enrage her more.

He turned around and took a few steps. Then he stopped, uncertain, and glanced at her over his shoulder.

"I'm not messing with you," he stated calmly and left the apartment.

Riza stood there a couple of minutes, trying to calm herself down. It was no use. She fell onto the bed, rolled over and grabbed a pillow. When her face was completely buried in the soft fabric to muffle the sound, she cried like a child with anger and pain. Mostly pain, that stinging sensation deep in her chest.

Black Hayate heard the screams and came to check on his owner. He sat down near the bed and looked at her sadly. But his quiet whine was nothing compared to what was going on inside Riza's head.

* * *

**A/N:** To all of the girls out there: never cry because of a man. None of them is worth it and you'll just ruin your makeup ;)

Again, I'm so sorry for the big break. I hope I'll get some time soon to write the next chapter.

Review and please be patient.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** So, I wasn't around for a while. This wasn't actually my fault. There was some stuff going on in my life and I had to postpone writing this particular fic for personal reasons. Then I got busy with real life etc. But now I think I can return with a new chapter, especially that I really like the idea of this fanfic. So I hope I will be able to update sooner that in a year again ;)

Also, I'm in Japan now. Maybe I'll be able to get Arakawa-san's autograph! Oh, and Noriaki Sugiyama's (Sasuke-kun's seiyuu) one too! *fangirl squeal*

**Disclaimer:** I don't own "Brzydula" or any other version of the series. I don't own FMA in any version either. I don't own the friend, especially that we're not friends anymore. I don't think I love Marek either… But I want You to know that my love for Sasuke-kun remains unaffected.

Enjoy the long awaited chapter.

* * *

Episode 8

_Jerk. Bastard. Scoundrel. Son of a…_

All those words ran through Riza's head as she was crying her heart out into the pillow. Black Hayate reached her leg with his paw and stroked it once, but there was no response, so he just lay down sadly. His owner didn't even notice him.

How could've he said this to her? How could've he stooped down to such meaness? He knew how she felt about him, he knew all along, yet he told her that he loved her back. All so that she would quietly return to her place beside him and probably never again commit the crime of looking at another man. Oh no, she would be too full of hope that one day Roy Mustang might finally succumb to his feelings towards her and so she would silently wait for this day to come. Meanwhile he would enjoy his life to the fullest and rest assured that his lieutenant wasn't going anywhere. That he was invincible when it came to her feelings.

Had he never loved anyone before? Did he not realize what hearing such words would entail? Did he not know that if she hadn't seen through him, if she had believed him, she would first get excited and then helplessly hopeful, spending each and every day waiting for him to make his move? Did he not know how cruel it was to delude her with a vision of her dreams coming true, to trick her into believing that the thing she craved the most, his love, was within her reach? That she would have it anytime, she only had to wait a bit and he could confess, kiss her, embrace her at any moment?

Was he really capable of going so far, of resorting to such ruthless lies?

Even though Roy never said he expected her to wait, he also did not mention any particular time when they would start their relationship. This was because of the outcome of the conversation more than of anything else, but Riza's mind, flooded with emotion, pictured herself in the form of Penelope, sitting in her room and waiting for her man to come home. And those words, those three words that she wanted to hear so badly but which now were like piercing knives… They were like a rope, tying her to him so that she would never be able to let go.

She spent the whole night crying and thinking in turns. When she woke up the next day, after finally falling asleep at five in the morning, her eyes were awfully puffy and red. She glanced at her wasted reflection in the mirror and dismissed it. It was Sunday, she could stay home all day.

To change her gloomy mood, she turned on her computer and loaded the next episode of "Ugly Patty." But once Philip entered the scene, she scowled and paused the video. His face reminded her so much about the last evening. How could she watch the series with a Mustang-like guy as the main character when she just got so badly hurt by the colonel?

Cursing under her breath (damn Mustang took away even her entertainment) she exited the website, sighing in anger. What was she supposed to do now? All day without anything to do, without any plans, and it would be plainly insane to go outside and show the world her swollen eyes. Tears started rolling down her face again and she made no attempt to stop them. She had no way of getting her mind off things anyway, it was inevitable.

Suddenly someone knocked at her door. Riza stiffened. She expected no guests; was it possible that it was that bastard…?

Her blood boiled. She jumped to her feet, but stopped midway to the front door. She didn't want to talk to him at all, so maybe it was better to stay put and pretend she was still sleeping?

Oh, no. A quick glance upon the clock told her that this wouldn't pass. It was noon already. Damn the sleepless night.

The knocking repeated. Riza hesitated. She sighed heavily to calm herself a bit and then quietly tiptoed through the corridor to the front door and peered through the peephole.

Her eyes widened with joy when she saw Roy Mendez, waiting for her with a confused expression. He already started walking away, assuming that she wasn't home, so Riza swiftly opened the door to keep him with her.

"Hey!" she beamed at him with gratitude. Now she didn't have to be alone and that stupid damn-him-to-hell Mustang would finally stop popping up in her head.

Mendez turned around and his eyes widened too.

"H…hey," he replied, looking at her attentively. Riza remembered her wasted appearance and groaned inwardly. "Did something…happen?"

"No, no, it's nothing," she quickly dismissed the problem and opened the door wider to invite him inside.

He stepped in hesitantly. How could she expect him to let the matter go with such a lame excuse?

"Riza?"

"Really, nothing." Riza closed the door behind him much too eagerly for his liking, because it was obvious that something was going on. "Do you want tea? Coffee?"

"Well… coffee, if I can."

She jumped to the kitchen with the same eagerness. He followed her reluctantly, lingering in the doorway.

"Riza, you surely must know that if you've clearly cried all night, I _do_ care and I _do_ want to know what happened."

She sighed, but it was impossible to make him let it go.

"I had… an unpleasant talk," she answered, not looking at him.

"With whom?"

"Roy," she turned to face him. "Does it really matter? I don't want to talk about it, I don't even want to think about it.

"Will you tell me later?"

She bit her lip. "No… I don't think so. It's… not something I should share."

He sighed, slightly frustrated. "So maybe there is something I can do for you?"

"No," she shook her head, but she walked up to him and hugged him tightly. "You've come. That's already enough."

She almost started crying again, but his strong embrace soothed her and calmed her down. She sighed contentedly.

"Can we talk about something else? Do something else?"

"Anything you want," he smiled. "I actually came to invite you for a coffee, but I take it you don't want to go outside."

"No, not really," she smiled apologetically.

"Ok, so do you have any candy store here? I could buy some sweets and we could have coffee here instead."

"There's one just across the street."

"Great. I'll be back in a minute, hope the coffee will still be hot by then."

"Thanks," she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him lightly. He stroked her hair and in a second was out of her apartment.

Riza leaned back onto the kitchen counter. Stupid Mustang, stupid, stupid… Why was she crying again? Dammit.

But it seemed that at least now she would be able to take her mind off things for a while.

* * *

Next day at work.

The atmosphere was really strange, like someone just died. Riza was silent for the whole day and talked to no one. She used all her willpower to refrain from crying the previous evening so that her eyes wouldn't be red and puffed today. That's why no one suspected what she was going through. She looked the same as usually, maybe a little paler, but that was all.

As for the colonel, he was just as grim as his lieutenant. Once or twice Havoc caught him stealing glances at Riza. The second lieutenant guessed something must have happened between the two and after lunch he rounded on Riza in the corridor and delicately dragged her along into the nearest space where they could talk freely.

"What happened?" he asked curiously, but there was also concern in his voice.

"Nothing. Let me go…"

"Did you have a fight with Mustang? What did he do?"

Riza gratefully noted that Havoc, presented with the idea of her and the colonel having a fight, automatically assumed that it was Roy who was to blame.

"Jean, I don't want to talk about it," she tried what had worked with Roy Mendez, but the second lieutenant wouldn't let go that easily.

"Riza, you know you can tell me anything. And I can help."

"You can't. Really, I'm sorry, but you can't."

"Is this about Mendez? Did the colonel talk to you about Roy Mendez?"

"Why would you think that?"

"Well, I don't know," he replied sarcastically. "Maybe it's because Mustang has been in bad mood ever since you've started watching the series. Or maybe it's because you had a date with Mendez and Mustang didn't seem to like it much. Or maybe that's because you are dating Roy Mendez while still thinking about the colonel."

Riza bit her lip. Her eyes darted to the side, but after a few seconds she whispered bitterly:

"He's interfering. The colonel. He wants me to break up with Roy Mendez."

Havoc processed this information and then said:

"Ignore him. If you want to be with Mendez instead of him, I don't see why you shouldn't."

"He wants me back," said Riza, feeling the tears forming in her eyes. She didn't want to cry in front of anyone, but she wasn't controlling her feelings anymore. Anyway, Havoc wouldn't tell anyone.

"Back?" Jean didn't understand. "Like what? Like you will stop watching the series and seeing Mendez… and what?"

"And be with him instead," she finished in a whisper. Havoc stared.

"With whom? With Mustang?"

Riza nodded, biting her lips. "That's what he said."

"He wants to be with you?" Havoc eyed her while the information slowly sunk in. "But… it's what you've always wanted, right?"

"Right!"

"So, why are you crying?"

Riza stifled a sob and started explaining. "Don't you find it strange that he never noticed me, and then some other guy, better than him, comes and wants me, and then he suddenly realizes his feelings for me and confesses? And… and that he wants me to break up with the other guy and return to him? And it's just a coincidence that he realized he loves me exactly when some other guy took me from him?"

Havoc somehow comprehended her prattle and stared even more in shock.

"Mustang told you he loves you?"

"He did!" said Riza fiercely. "Can you believe it? Can you believe that he even said something like that just to make me break up with Mendez?"

"Oh," with that small sound, Havoc finally understood what was going on in Riza's mind. "You think he's faking it?"

"Of course he is! There's no way in hell he could've loved me all those years and realize it only now!"

Havoc was silent for a while. He understood Riza's point, why she would think it was all a lie. On the other hand, he really didn't think that even the colonel would hurt her like that.

"Riza… what if he's telling the truth?"

"Of course he isn't!" she responded angrily, wiping the tears with her sleeve. "He's jealous, that bastard, and he's just messing with me! But that was a blow way below the belt!"

"Exactly. And do you really think he is capable of that?"

She looked at her friend and the words died in her throat. Havoc looked unsure, which made her lose her own confidence as well.

"I don't know… yes… but…"

"It's ok," he embraced her tightly, because she appeared even more wasted than before. "You don't have to do this alone. I'm here."

"Thanks."

He soothed her for a while. Finally Riza's breathing became steady again.

"I don't know what to do anymore," she said calmly, but in a quite pitiful voice. "Not that I knew earlier, but still…"

"It's ok. Listen," he looked her in the eye. "I'll try to find out what Mustang is about, ok? Meanwhile, you think about which one of them you want to be with. Whomever you choose, no one will have the right to criticize you. It's your decision alone, understand?"

"Yeah. Thanks."

"No problem."

Riza wiped what was left of her tears, took several deep breaths and they returned to the office as if nothing had happened.

* * *

Roy Mendez, knowing that Riza has been in bad mood since the previous day, decided to cheer her up by taking her out after work. He picked her from the HQ, using on the receptionist the same trick that had worked earlier.

The colonel wasn't happy to see the actor taking his Riza to dinner. When Philip came, Roy eyed him with hate and threw his lieutenant a look of hurtful disappointment, but she didn't notice that. He dared not say anything, though. He still couldn't believe that his confession had been taken for a lie and that she could suspect him of such a trickery, but since she did, it was better not to annoy her even further. If he insulted the actor now, she might never speak to him again and it wasn't any exaggeration.

He watched as Philip embraced Riza and shot the guy a look of hatred. Unfortunately for him, this didn't go unnoticed. Roy Mendez eyed him with curiosity and it was that moment when he understood that he wasn't alone in the game. He also deduced who had upset Riza. Mustang saw his expression change and immediately regretted not having refrained himself, but it was already too late. The colonel knew that Philip would probably ask Riza about him and that she wouldn't like it.

The couple left. Mustang sighed and rested his forehead on his hands.

Philip didn't know how to start the subject, because, after all, he came to cheer Riza up, not to remind her of her upsetting experiences. But he had to know.

"That guy…" he started, watching his date's reaction, "the colonel or something. I don't think he likes me."

Riza twitched slightly, but otherwise remained calm.

"Why would you think that?"

"I don't know… He looks at me like he has some grudge against me." He looked at her knowingly. "Perhaps you have any idea what that could be?"

She caught the suspicion in his voice, but did not give in.

"I don't know, maybe he's jealous because you're famous and he's not?"

"Riza. Please."

The lieutenant touched her forehead in frustration. "Don't mind him, he's just a stupid jerk…"

"Listen," he came closer to her and looked her in the eye. "When I asked you if you are seeing anyone, you said…"

"I said 'no'," she snapped. "Because I'm not. There has never been anything between me and the colonel. We've never been together and frankly, up till now he's never shown any enthusiasm into that direction."

"What about you?" Philip's face was serious.

"I…" she hesitated, but quickly regained her composure. "I'm with you and I'm happy. I don't want to exchange you for him. You're much better, not only for me, but for any other woman as well."

"Is that all? You want to be with me just because you think I'm better than him? Isn't there anything else?"

Riza was taken aback by this sudden question. She knew what he wanted to hear, but she wasn't sure she was ready to say it. She walked up to him and cuddled herself into his chest. She just wanted it all to go away, why did every conversation recently have to be a difficult one?

"I really want to be with you," she said quietly. "And whatever the colonel thinks, it's not going to change that."

As he hugged her, she made up her mind. She chose Philip. An honest, gallant, caring man. Not like someone else she knew.

* * *

**A/N:** I'm apologizing again for the huge delay. But I needed it, so it couldn't be helped. I will update faster next time because I really want to complete this fic.

Please review!


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** Hello after a really long break.

There've been a couple of people asking about this fic. Lately I have received a very nice PM from **2400shadow** who inspired me to finally finish it. I like this fic and I'd love to see it completed, but life happened and I had little time to do this. But since I've been asked to update and since I do have some time on my hands, I decided to spend it well ;) Enjoy the penultimate chapter!

Trivia: I took the name Phillip from the friend that I told You about. We're not friends anymore and we lost any contact with each other, but I thought it might interest You guys so I'm letting You know :)

**Disclaimer:** I don't own "Brzydula" or any other version of "Ugly Betty." I don't own FMA, but even after eight years I still love that series.

* * *

Episode 9

A couple of days passed and nothing changed. The colonel was still upset, Riza still acted indifferent towards him and Roy Mendez still would pick her up after work.

Finally the colonel started seeking an opportunity to talk with his lieutenant alone and one day he succeeded, catching her in the corridor. Coincidentally, he pulled her into the same place where she usually talked with Havoc.

"What do you want?" she angrily freed her hand from his grip and straightened her uniform. Her eyes were cold. Roy tried to ignore that.

"I just… I wanted to know whether you have thought about what I told you," he said calmly. "About my feelings for you."

His voice was gentle, matching the delicate matter at hand. Riza bit her lip and snapped:

"I thought that I made myself clear. I will not believe those lies."

"And I thought I told you that they are not lies."

"Do you really have to make this difficult? I have a relationship now and I'm happy, so…"

"A relationship?" he interrupted her mid-sentence. "You're going steady now?"

Riza couldn't believe he asked that question.

"And what does it look like to you? We're dating, he's picking me up after work and we… we like each other, so how is that not obvious?"

"You _like_ him?" Roy picked on that one word she had hoped he would miss. "I thought couples were supposed to _love_ each other."

"It's not your business and it never was."

"Riza, listen, I…" the colonel rubbed his face and finished in almost a whisper: "I really love you and if you don't love him…"

"I do," she lied automatically. Roy's expression got terrified. "I do, so… stop it. Leave me… leave us alone."

Mustang stared at her, trying to read the thoughts beneath the façade. After half a minute his muscles relaxed a bit.

"You don't mean that. I've known you long enough to know when you're not telling the truth."

"Yeah. And since you've known me for so long, you should've used that time to make your move. Now butt out. And let me go, I have work to do."

"Do you have to be so difficult?" he asked angrily.

"Do you have to _make _it difficult?"

"I'm sorry I didn't know earlier, I really am!" said Roy with emphasis and Riza saw a glimpse of desperation in his eyes. "But I know now, so…"

"You're impossible," she shook her head. "And a good actor, too. You can certainly compete with Roy on this field."

"I'm not acting!"

Riza just smiled bitterly.

"Yeah. Now if you excuse me, sir, I'd like to finish my work before the episode starts. Today they're airing the last one and I really don't want to miss it."

Before he could say anything, she was already gone. Mustang punched the wall hard and winced when he felt the sharp pain.

"Dammit!"

* * *

This wasn't the end of Mustang's misfortunes that day. Riza had just left to watch the last episode of "Ugly Patty" when the door to the office opened and revealed no one other than Roy Mendez. He sure was early for picking her up.

"Lieutenant Hawkeye is in the TV room," snapped the colonel. "One would think you would know the time your own series airs."

"I know," Philip's calm voice remained in perfect contrast to Mustang's annoyed tone. "I chose this time on purpose. I want to talk to _you_."

Suddenly a breeze could be felt in the air and the office became completely empty, save the two Roys. Mustang pursed his lips at how quickly his subordinates had vanished and put a fake smile onto his face.

"Of course. Then please, talk," he said in an overly polite tone.

Philip took a few steps and stopped right in front of the desk that Mustang was sitting behind.

"Riza has been upset lately," he begun seriously. "I think _you're_ making her upset. I want you to stop."

"To stop what? I don't understand. I thought she was happy with you."

"I believe she is. Although she would be happier if you didn't interfere."

"If _I_ didn't interfere? _I_?"

"What do you mean?"

"That you just came here and took something that's not yours."

"You think that she's a _thing_ that can be taken away?" Philip raised his eyebrows. "I'm not surprised that she put you on the shelf."

Mustang stood up to be on the same level with Mendez.

"She's not a thing, she's my lieutenant…"

"…and my girlfriend…"

"She could be _my_ girlfriend if you did the right thing and backed off!"

"_I_ have to back off? Listen to yourself! You think you can order me or her around just because you're a colonel?"

"And you think that you can just steal people's… people's _friends_ just because you're an actor?"

Philip rubbed his face in a very Mustang-like gesture. "Listen, this childish fight is below me. I just want you to leave us alone. When I started dating Riza I asked her whether she was seeing anyone and she said 'no', so I take it you two weren't a couple and so I did _not_ steal her from you."

The colonel pursed his lips again. "We weren't a couple, but we could be and I… would be very pleased if you left to wherever you came from."

"I'm sorry, but I'm not here to please you."

Mustang leaned forward to face Mendez. "Maybe you should consider that."

"Maybe you should consider finding yourself another girl."

The conversation went on and on while the whole gang was eavesdropping behind the closed door.

"You think we should interfere?" asked Fuery, worry evident on his face.

"It's fine, they're just talking," replied Breda, trying to find the most comfortable position with his ear pressed firmly against the wood.

As if as a response to his words, suddenly there were other noises coming from the office. Like someone moved a piece of furniture… like someone tripped… like someone punched someone else's face…

Breda jumped away from the door when they heard a low thump exactly matching the sound of a person being thrown against the wood.

"Quick, get Riza!" he ordered Fuery and before Havoc could protest the sergeant was gone.

* * *

Ten minutes later Riza was standing in the office, Havoc by her side and the rest of her subordinates behind her. She was looking from one Roy to the other in complete silence. They could practically sense the fury in her gaze.

"I take it you tripped and fell," she stated finally. The culprits looked at each other in surprise.

"Because you know," Riza continued coldly, "if you happened by chance to have been fighting…"

"We haven't," Mustang recognized the threat in her voice. "We tripped and fell."

"Yes. I hit the desk," Philip played along. "This corner."

"Yeah. And I hit the other one."

"Yeah. We were just talking about…"

"…the weather!"

"And we didn't notice the desk. And we tripped. And fell."

"Yeah, exactly. There's a lot of furniture around here, so…"

Riza looked to her left, at Havoc, who was raising his eyebrows higher and higher. When he noticed her gaze, he nodded and said: "Yeah, a lot. Looots of furniture." The sarcasm in his voice was evident.

"Good," she faked a smile and both Roys backed away a bit. "Now excuse me, I still have one hour to complete my work."

"I can wait for you in the cafeteria," offered Philip somewhat shyly. Riza shot him a cold glance.

"No, thank you. As you know, I missed the episode, so I want to get home early and watch it online. Let's cancel our meeting today."

The actor nodded in apology. "Ok. I understand."

Mustang smirked at that, but it did not go unnoticed.

"Colonel, don't you have paperwork to do?" Riza snapped at him sharply. "I believe that would be a more proper activity for a military officer than checking the hardness of our furniture with your face."

In any other situation they would laugh, but there was grim silence in the room. Roy and Phillip shot each other a loaded glance and the actor exited the office. Mustang sat down behind his slightly misplaced desk; he did not dare adjust it so as not to prolong the awkward moment. Riza gave Havoc an exasperated look and sat down as well. The rest reluctantly followed. No one said anything until work time was up and Riza left the office in just as solemn a silence as she had been sitting in for the past hour.

Fuery, Fallman and Breda left shortly after her. Havoc stalled a bit, looking hesitant, but when the colonel gazed up at him from behind his desk, the second lieutenant made up his mind and left as well. Roy enjoyed solitude for about five minutes, when he was unexpectedly visited by his lieutenant colonel friend.

"Is she gone?" whispered Hughes, glancing around the room, and after receiving a positive answer from Mustang he walked inside and closed the office door behind himself. "Oh, good. I think we really need to talk. Pack your things and we're headed to the nearest pub. You have a lot of explaining to do."

"Why?" the colonel did not move an inch.

"Oh, please. Don't try to tell me that you had nothing to do with that ruckus earlier. It involved Roy Mendez's handsome face sporting a nice shade of blue. I saw him myself and heard the rest from Breda; you're in big trouble, mister."

"Don't act like you were my father."

"Well someone has to, because you clearly can not go one day without misbehaving."

"He came here and told me to back off! What do you think that was like?!"

"Roy, I know you're upset," Maes took a chair and placed it beside the desk. "But you can't go around beating people just because they annoy you."

"It wasn't even annoying. It was like… like he had more right to be with her than I do… It was insolent, rude and… and devastating."

"I know, but still."

"What am I supposed to do now?" Roy rested his face on his hands. "She wouldn't even talk to me afterwards."

"Give her some time."

"But _he_ could be making his moves as we speak! I can't just sit idly and…"

"Roy." Maes looked him in the eye and the colonel, surprised by the firmness in his voice, finally calmed down a bit. "I think you're going about this the wrong way. Instead of showing Riza that you care for her, you're focusing on your hatred towards that guy. Frankly, I'm not surprised that she only sees your jealousy and none of your affection."

Mustang sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Maybe you're right," he admitted begrudgingly. "Maybe… maybe that's what I should do from now on. But what if he wins?"

"Then you lose and stand back."

"You're kidding! I'm supposed to just let it go?!"

"Yes, if you want to at least have her friendship. Otherwise she would just resent you."

"But he's way ahead of me now!"

"That's not really his fault and neither is hers."

Roy turned a deaf ear to the obvious implication of those words. "So what can I do now?"

Maes stood up. "I said, pack your things. We'll grab a beer or two and think of something together."

* * *

Riza got home, unpacked her bag, fed Black Hayate, made herself some tea and turned her computer on. The episode loaded quite quickly. She was eager to see the ending of the series. Yesterday the plot left the fashion house on the verge of holding a fashion show, with the employees acting as models. Patty was there as well. She had been assigned the wedding dress, the central creation of the newest collection, and Riza was sure she would look absolutely stunning in it. But after what had happened between them, after Patty told him that she didn't want to be with him, Phillip was leaving the city with Joanne, who seemed to somehow have managed to win him back. The next thirty minutes would reveal whether he would realize his mistake and stay to fight for his love once more or go with his ex-fiancée and never see Patty again. Riza sipped her tea impatiently as the events unfolded on the screen. The fashion show started… Patty realized that Phillip was not coming and in a desperate attempt to make up for her harsh words called him from a phone booth, pleading him to stay… Joanne packed her things and left her apartment, heading for the airport… The models walked the catwalk one by one… Patty in a wedding dress almost crying behind the scenes… Only five minutes till the end now… And then suddenly his voice, Phillip's voice, announcing to the audience on the show that the last piece was going to be a wedding dress, and Patty, coming out to see her beloved… Riza watched as Roy Mendez took the actress's hand and let her walk around him to show the dress to everyone while still talking about how the dress was unique, one of a kind, how it was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen, how it was a pearl in the collection and how much he loved her and that Joanne left alone and that he wanted her so much and he wanted to tell her that in person, and he kissed her and she kissed him back while her eyes flooded with tears of joy and relief and everything was well at last.

But even when the final credits rolled the tears did not stop flowing. Riza tried to wipe her face dry, but they just kept coming and coming, and before she knew it she hid her face in her hands and sobbed loudly. The beautiful music from the speakers eventually died, but the lieutenant still cried. She was sick and tired of what was going on in her life, of all the tension and stupid conversations, of Mustang interfering, and what was that fight about! What are they, four? She managed to keep her composure that long, but in the end it was just too much. And the way the series ended was beautiful, with the two protagonists finally finding each other in true love. Why couldn't she have something like that in her life? Why did everything have to be so complicated, why couldn't she just be happy with Roy Mendez? She saw him as Phillip look at Patty with love in his eyes. He looked at her the same way, only with Riza it wasn't acting. It was genuine, she could tell. You meet such a man only once in a lifetime, so why exactly did Mustang have to ruin it all with his stupid, stupid jealousy? Why couldn't he just… just disappear… from her life, from _their_ life… from her heart?

* * *

The next afternoon Riza received a call from a still ashamed Mendez.

"Hey… First of all, I want you to know that I'm really sorry for yesterday."

"Yes, I know. You've made yourself quite clear by now," she glanced at a big bouquet of flowers that arrived at her apartment door that morning. It was Saturday, so she was there to receive it to her utter surprise.

"Yeah… I guess," there was a tinge of playfulness in his voice. "Listen, something popped up and I think we should talk about it. So how about we meet for dinner? My treat, I know a great restaurant around here."

"Something popped up?" she repeated, ignoring the rest of his words. "What do you mean? Is everything all right?"

"Yes, yes! Everything's fine, just… changing. But there's a lot to talk about, so I really think we should meet first."

"Are you leaving Central?"

"6 pm? I'll pick you up."

"Answer me!"

"6 pm it is. Make sure you're ready by then!"

"Roy!" she tried once more, but he had already hung up. Riza stood there for a while with the receiver in her hands and finally sighed defeatedly. "So, I guess I'd better get ready."

As she was choosing her outfit, she tried not to think too much about what Roy could tell her. She had a vague feeling that indeed, he had to leave Central City, but that would mean the end of their relationship. Her place was here, in the military, and his… his was probably out there, being famous and what not.

But she did not want to end it. She'd finally made up her mind, she was finally happy with him and even though the colonel did… _misbehave_… she still enjoyed having such a great boyfriend. What would happen to her when he left her? She's probably have to endure Mustang's cheers and his boastful victory. And then he'd probably admit to the lies, go back on his words and everything, and it will be as it had always been, with him womanizing and her quietly waiting for his attention. And…

Wait! Why was she thinking about him again? And besides, no one was leaving anyone, at least not for now. Maybe Mendez just wanted her advice on something? Maybe he got a great job offer and wondered whether to take it or not? Maybe he finally got to play Hamlet…

Riza smiled at that thought. It was no use trying to guess why Roy wanted to meet with her; the important thing was that she had a date tonight and she had to look absolutely stunning.

* * *

"You look absolutely stunning."

"Thank you," the lieutenant smiled and let her date pull the chair for her. "So, will you tell me what the occasion is or not?"

"Do I really need a special occasion to take my girlfriend out on a date?"

"I suppose not, but that phone call earlier made me suspicious," she smiled gently, trying not to reveal how nervous she really was.

"Let's sit down first."

But only when they ordered wine did he finally speak:

"My holiday got cancelled. I got a great job offer and my manager says I have to take it no matter what."

"Here, in Central?" asked Riza, sipping her wine innocently. But she knew the answer.

"No, not here."

"So you're leaving the city?"

"I'm leaving the _country_. They're filming in Xing."

"In Xing?" she repeated with eyes wide open. "You're going to Xing?"

"Actually, I thought we could go together."

There was brief silence as Riza processed those words.

"You want me to go with you? Really?"

"Well, you're my girlfriend, what did you expect?"

"Somehow I knew you had to leave, but I thought… I thought we would be over then…"

"Do you want us to be over?"

"No." In that little word there was so much emotion that it almost burst. Between the 'n' and the 'o' Riza enclosed all her hope that they could stay together, all the joy that indeed, they will, all the anticipation and all the fear of the difficulties that she would have to face to make this work.

Roy took her hand.

"I know it's sudden," he started in almost a whisper, "but maybe that's exactly what we need. We've had so many problems lately, with the colonel and all…"

"Don't mention him."

"Don't interrupt. He tried to have us apart and I fear that one day… he might actually succeed," he looked her deep in the eye and she saw that fear. "But if we leave, if we get a fresh start somewhere else, _together_… Maybe this will do wonders to us. With the obstacles gone, with a new environment… Whatever happens or doesn't happen next, I just think we need a break from all this. I think we should go."

"But Roy, my job…"

"I know, but you could find something in Xing. I know it might take some time and that you would hate to be supported by a man," he smiled at her, "but we'll make it work somehow." He eyed her and added: "You don't seem convinced."

"It's really sudden," she twirled the wine glass in her hand. "But I'm happy for you."

"It's not about me, it's about us."

"I know. I can't say 'yes' right away, but… I'll think about it, ok?"

Roy quirked an eyebrow. "Really now? You'll 'think about it'?"

"Give me some time!" she laughed, albeit halfheartedly. "You can't expect me to just pack my things and go all the way to Xing at once."

"Speaking of which, I'll have to leave next Friday."

"Oh." Well, of course it would be something like next week. It's a _sudden_ offer, remember?

But even when she thought that she still felt anxious. She had only six days to decide on something that would change her life forever. And completely vanish her relationship with Mustang, be it friendship or whatever.

"I can see that look, miss Plan-It-All-In-Advance," smiled Roy. "Let's not talk about it anymore. Just make up your mind and let me know, ok?"

"Yeah. Thanks."

The evening progressed in a very nice atmosphere and the night at Riza's was even better. But somewhere in the back of the lieutenant's head there was this awareness that the real choice was coming now. She might have put Mendez before Mustang, but the next few days would show where her true loyalty lied and whether she would be able to rid her life of the colonel once and for all.

* * *

**A/N:** The plot of the final episode was taken directly from "Brzydula". I did say that I don't own it, right? Right, I think I did. The episode itself was poorly done plot-wise because everything happened so quickly and with no real depth, but I still enjoyed it.

Please review and get ready for the last chapter, which is already planned out and unless life happens again I will update soon!


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